On January 19, TikTok was banned for a few hours before coming back online. Prior to TikTok’s announcement about going live again, Elon Musk, the owner of X (previously known as Twitter), cried foul, stating that while TikTok operates in the United States, X is banned in China.
Elon Musk took to X on January 19, posting: “I have always been against banning TikTok because it violates freedom of speech. However, the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in the U.S. while X is not allowed to operate in China is unfair. Changes need to be made.”
Within two to three hours, TikTok released a statement on X, announcing the restoration of the app for American users. President Trump, who will be inaugurated on January 20, stated that he would sign an executive order to delay a federal ban on the TikTok application after taking office.
On January 20, when questioned by foreign journalists regarding the fairness of allowing TikTok to operate in the U.S. while not permitting Musk’s X to operate in China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded during a press conference: “The Chinese government manages the Internet according to law. As long as they comply with China’s laws and regulations and provide secure and reliable products and services, we welcome Internet companies from various countries to develop in China.”
The official response from the Chinese Communist Party, along with Musk’s post, immediately sparked discussions on X.
“The key issue is that this thing is not illegal in the vast majority of countries worldwide, only in Communist China and North Korea. Is this a case of ‘different strokes for different folks’? If operating according to the laws of Communist China and North Korea, most social media platforms in the world would not be able to operate. Therefore, Communist China and North Korea should continue to isolate themselves and enjoy being in their own little world.”
“Mao Ning’s words could be perfectly replicated by the U.S. State Department.”
“Not a single foreign Internet company is allowed to operate in China. Yet, China demands that its own Internet companies can operate in the U.S. without obeying U.S. laws.”
“The classic rhetoric of the Communist Party is to replace their own party’s interests with national interests and the need to comply with the law. Essentially, when you see ‘country’ mentioned, your brain automatically replaces it with the Communist Party, and then you understand.”
“Why doesn’t Musk ask: Why can Americans only use TikTok and not Douyin? Why can Chinese only use Douyin and not TikTok?”
“It is hoped that Musk will have more people around him who can introduce him to the real situation in mainland China, to talk about the lack of freedom of speech for people living here. We look forward to the extraordinary individual Musk exerting his huge influence on China!”
“This time, we must support Musk and hope that he can make China great again (MCGA).”