Bytedance is considering the possibility of establishing a global headquarters for its short-video app TikTok outside China, a move that could help the app better crack the growing markets in Southeast Asia, Europe and the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Singapore, London or Dublin are all being considered as home to the global headquarters, with no American cities shortlisted, sources told the Journal. The news comes as TikTok faces increased scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers who have labeled the app a national security threat due to its alleged ties with the Chinese government. TikTok has become very successful in the U.S. in a short period of time, where it is popular mainly among young people.

One source said that the effort of setting up a global headquarters outside China is “only accelerating because of the things happening in the U.S.”, referring to the recent probe into TikTok there, according to the report.

In response to questions raised by the Journal, a TikTok spokeswoman did not give a direct answer to the search for a global headquarters, but said that the company’s teams around the world have increasingly been given more control over local operations.

TikTok, which was launched in the overseas markets in August 2017, made it onto app data provider App Annie’s list of the world’s top 10 apps by downloads in 2019. It was the fourth most downloaded non-game app in the year, outperforming Facebook-owned photo-sharing app Instagram.

Contact reporter Ding Yi (yiding@caixin.com)

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