TikTok's Commercialization in the U.S. Comes to an Abrupt Halt (AI Translation)
Listen to the full version
- TikTok and its parent company ByteDance were caught off guard by a political storm from the U.S., which proposed the 'Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act' to potentially ban TikTok due to its Chinese company background. The bill passed the House with overwhelming support and is pending in the Senate, with President Biden indicating he would sign it into law.
- Despite facing potential U.S. ban, TikTok has made significant strides in e-commerce through TikTok Shop, achieving nearly $1.2 billion in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) within months of launching in the U.S., with projections reaching above $20 billion by 2024. However, if banned, TikTok might not be able to divest its assets as required within 180 days, leading to its removal from U.S. app stores.
- The situation has sparked reactions from China's Ministry of Commerce and Foreign Ministry, criticizing the U.S. for suppressing foreign companies under the guise of national security without fair competition. Meanwhile, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has been lobbying in Washington D.C., trying to negotiate a favorable outcome amidst growing bipartisan support for the app's ban due to concerns over data privacy and national security.
文｜财新周刊 杜知航 关聪 屈运栩
By Caixin Weekly's Du Zhihang, Guan Cong, Qu Yunxu
一切都被打得措手不及。来自美国的这一轮政治风暴，其猛烈和迅速程度都大大超出TikTok及其母公司字节跳动的心理准备。
Caught completely off guard, the political storm from the United States hit TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, with a ferocity and speed that far exceeded their expectations.
刚刚半年前，TikTok在美国打通电商TikTok Shop交易链路，努力凸显商业角色；平台商品交易总额（GMV）不到四个月就增长到近12亿美元，2024年市场看高至200亿美元之上。而在过去的一年，美国政界针对TikTok提起过八次提案，最终都未掀起太大的水花。尽管2024年是美国下届政府的决选之年，TikTok内部对面临更有挑战性的“监管敏感期”也有预期，但绝未料到今日局面之严峻。
Just six months ago, TikTok launched its e-commerce chain, TikTok Shop, in the United States, striving to highlight its commercial role. The platform's Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) grew to nearly $1.2 billion in less than four months, with the market projecting it could exceed $20 billion by 2024. However, over the past year, U.S. politicians have introduced eight proposals targeting TikTok, none of which have caused significant repercussions. Although 2024 is an election year for the next U.S. administration and TikTok internally anticipated facing a more challenging "regulatory sensitive period," it did not expect the situation to become as severe as it is today.
两名分别来自民主党和共和党的众议院议员联手炮制了一份“保护美国人免受外国敌手控制的应用法案”（Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act，下称“禁令议案”）。禁令议案自3月5日提出，到小组讨论投票，再到国会众议院全院投票且以352∶65的压倒性票数通过，只用了短短8天时间。这一推进速度，在一般一个议案都需耗时数月甚至拉锯数年、近年更是日益分裂的美国国会生态中堪称奇迹。
In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, a Democratic and a Republican member of the House of Representatives jointly crafted the "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" (referred to as the "Ban Bill"). From its introduction on March 5th, through committee discussion and voting, to the final vote in the House of Representatives where it passed with an overwhelming majority of 352 to 65 votes, the bill advanced in just eight days. This swift progress is nothing short of miraculous in the context of the typically slow-moving and increasingly divided U.S. Congress, where legislation often takes months or even years to pass.
Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook
Sign in with 财新