Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on Wednesday sought to pursue TikTok CEO Xu Chiu’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party, even though he is not even from China.
During a Senate hearing on the social impact of social media, Cotton asked the executive about his past as chief financial officer for Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, and while in that position, Cotton said: He admitted that he had been working in Beijing for about five years.
Mr. Cotton asked Mr. Xu Chu about his loyalty to his country after asking about economic sanctions imposed on Xiaomi over the past decade for being a suspected Chinese military company.
“Have you ever applied for Chinese citizenship?” he asked.
“Senator, I serve the country of Singapore,” the executive replied. “no.”
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Mr Shou Chew then highlighted that he had a Singapore passport and had served in the Singapore military for two years.
But Cotton remained unconvinced.
“Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party?” he asked.
“Senator, I’m Singaporean, no!” the TikTok boss replied.
“Have you ever been accused of having ties to the Chinese Communist Party?” Pressed cotton.
“No, Senator,” replied a bewildered Shou Chu. “Again, I’m Singaporean.”
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