UK political aspirants Truss wants TikTok regulated

On Monday, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who is the bookmakers’ favorite to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a Conservative Party leadership election, declared that, should she win the election, she would implement stricter regulations for technology companies that are owned by the Chinese government, such as TikTok.

When asked during a leadership debate on BBC television if she would be tough with Chinese technology businesses, Truss responded, “We certainly should be cracking down on those types of organizations. We should be cracking down on those types of companies,” she continued.

A pledge by Liz Truss, a candidate for the prime ministerial position in the United Kingdom, to crack down on Chinese-owned enterprises such as the social media behemoth TikTok Inc. was labeled “irresponsible” by China.

Truss made the comments on Monday at her first head-to-head discussion with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak. The comments were challenged by Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Zhao stated this during a routine news briefing on Tuesday in Beijing. “We deplore their remarks linked to China and we firmly condemn them,” Zhao said. “I want to make it plain to certain British politicians that making reckless remarks about China, including hyping up the so-called China menace, cannot address one’s own difficulties. I want to make it apparent to certain British politicians that they are making irresponsible remarks about China.”

Zhao stated that China would not comment on the contest to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the leader of the Conservative Party because the situation was an internal matter in the United Kingdom.

Truss’s comments on TikTok, a popular video-sharing app owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance Ltd., builds on Sunday’s back-and-forth between the two contenders on how to deal with China, with both politicians criticizing each other for their previous approaches. Truss’s comments on TikTok build on Sunday’s back-and-forth between the two contenders on how to deal with China. On Monday, the two candidates spent their time going after each other’s policy promises as they competed in a six-week runoff to succeed Johnson as the leader of the Conservative Party.

Earlier, Sunak referred to China as the “greatest long-term threat to Britain and the world’s economic and national security,” and he promised to restrict China’s influence in the United Kingdom. Sunak’s comments came after Sunak identified China as the “largest long-term threat to Britain.”

A victor will be chosen by the grassroots membership of the Conservative party, and the result is scheduled to be disclosed on September 5.