TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 31, 2024. Alex Wong—Getty Images
TikTok was one of several social media companies present at Wednesday’s U.S. Senate hearing on children’s online safety. But CEO Shou Zi Chew had to face a barrage of questions on another topic: nationality.
US Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) has decided to investigate the nationality of TikTok’s Singaporean CEO Shou Gee Choo. Cotton asked the TikTok CEO if he has any other nationality than Singapore, what kind of passport he has, the nationalities of his wife and children, and his plans for a future citizenship.
When Mr Cotton asked Mr Chew if he was a member of the Chinese Communist Party, the TikTok CEO replied: “Senator, I’m Singaporean. No.”
In his response to Cotton, Mr. Chu made multiple references to national service, which typically requires two years of service in the Southeast Asian country’s military. Dual citizenship is not allowed in Singapore.
In prepared remarks, Chu said TikTok will invest more than $2 billion in trust and safety initiatives this year. He noted that TikTok prohibits users from directly messaging users under the age of 16, and prohibits users from downloading or recommending content from underage users to strangers. Chu also revealed that the average age of TikTok users in the US is over 30 years old.
Connection with China
Chu has previously faced questions about his and TikTok’s alleged ties to China. During a Congressional hearing last year, lawmakers heavily criticized Chu for the potential threat TikTok poses to U.S. national security. At the time, Chu insisted that ByteDance was not an agent in China or any other country.
TikTok, owned by Chinese social media giant ByteDance, has found itself caught up in a broader geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington. The social media app has been dogged by concerns that user data could fall into the hands of Chinese authorities or that TikTok’s recommendations could be influenced by the Chinese government.
TikTok is trying to distance itself from its Chinese parent company, setting up offices in Los Angeles and Singapore. The social media company is also promoting Project Texas, a $1.5 billion project to store U.S. user data and protect it from unauthorized access from abroad. Earlier this week, wall street journal reported that TikTok employees are still transferring U.S. data to TikTok’s Chinese parent company. Mr Chu disputed the accuracy of the article on Wednesday.
Late Wednesday, Cotton defended his questions about: Fox News. “Unfortunately, Singapore is one of the places in the world where the Chinese Communist Party has the highest penetration and influence,” he claimed.
Although Singapore is a Chinese-majority country, the government seeks to emphasize its multi-ethnic identity. Singapore’s leaders have long maintained a desire to maintain ties with both the United States and China, with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong saying in May last year that Singapore “wants to maintain friendly relations with both countries.” Stated.
The Southeast Asian country is attracting attention from Chinese companies looking to avoid tensions between the United States and China, as well as wealthy Chinese people looking to make fortunes outside China.