China Won't Ask Firms To Supply Data Gathered Abroad

Beijing said on Friday that it does not ask companies to hand over data gathered overseas, as TikTok faces calls for a ban in the United States.

China "has never and will not require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in a foreign country, in a way that violates local law", Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing.

The mainland government "attaches great importance to protecting data privacy", she said.

"The US government has so far not provided any evidence that TikTok poses a threat to its national security, but instead has repeatedly made presumptions of guilt and unreasonable suppression" against the company, Mao added.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced relentless questioning from US lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle over the video-sharing app's ties to the Chinese government.

The Harvard-educated former banker failed over several grueling hours to defuse an existential threat to TikTok, as the app seeks to survive a White House ultimatum that it either split from its Chinese ownership or get banned in the United States. (AFP)