TikTok was one of several social media companies present at a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday on children’s online safety. But the CEO of Shou Tzu Chu had to face barrage of questions on another topic: his nationality.
US Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) decided to check Singaporean TikTok CEO Shu Tzu Chu for his nationality. Cotton asked the TikTok CEO if he has any citizenship other than Singaporean, what passports he holds, the citizenship of his wife and children, and plans for future citizenship.
After Cotton asked Chu if he was a member of the Chinese Communist Party, the TikTok CEO responded with an exasperated: “Senator, I am Singaporean. No.”
In his responses to Cotton, Chew made several references to his national service, the mandatory two years typically spent in the Southeast Asian country’s military. Singapore does not allow dual citizenship.
In his prepared remarks, Chu said TikTok will invest more than $2 billion this year in trust and safety efforts. He noted that TikTok does not allow users to directly message anyone under 16, and also prohibits underage users from uploading or recommending content to strangers. Chu also said that the average age of a TikTok user in the US is over 30 years old.
Connections with China
Chu has faced questions before about his and TikTok’s alleged ties to China. At congressional hearings last year, lawmakers questioned Chu about the potential threat TikTok poses to U.S. national security. In this case, Chu stated that ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country.
TikTok, owned by Chinese social media giant ByteDance, has become embroiled in a broader geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington. The social media app has been dogged by concerns that user data could end up in the hands of Chinese authorities or that TikTok’s recommendations could be influenced by Beijing.
TikTok has attempted to distance itself from its Chinese parent company by opening offices in Los Angeles and Singapore. The social media company also has “Project Texas“, a $1.5 billion project that will store US user data and protect it from unauthorized outside access. Earlier this week Wall Street Journal reported that TikTok employees are still transferring US data to TikTok’s Chinese parent company; On Wednesday, Chu disputed the accuracy of the article.
Later Wednesday, Cotton defended his line of questioning on Fox News. “Singapore is unfortunately one of the places in the world that has the highest degree of penetration and influence of the Chinese Communist Party,” he said.
In Singapore, the majority is ethnic Chinese, but the government is trying to emphasize a multiracial identity. Singapore’s leaders have long maintained a desire to maintain ties with both the US and China, with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. speaking last May that the country wants to “remain friends with both sides.”
The Southeast Asian country has attracted interest from Chinese business hoping to avoid tension between Washington and Beijing, as well as rich chinese hoping to place his fortune outside of China.