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The Chinese Embassy has held meetings with Capitol Hill staffers to protect TikTok from a potential forced sale, according to a report.
The meetings took place with Chinese diplomats after the House passed legislation with an overwhelming bipartisan vote last month that would force Chinese divestment from TikTok or see the app banned, Politico reported.
Two congressional staffers, one from the House and the other from the Senate, told the outlet on condition of anonymity that the Chinese Embassy initiated contact and downplayed national security concerns over TikTok.
In one meeting, the embassy said that banning the social media app would be harmful for U.S. investors who hold ownership of parent company ByteDance, according to Politico.
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TikTok’s critics have long called the social media app a national security threat. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
In another meeting, Chinese diplomats argued that TikTok was being treated unfairly because it is a Chinese company and that other companies outside of China would not be treated the same way, the staffers told the outlet.
TikTok told Politico in a statement that its report was "absurd" and that the company had no knowledge of any meetings between the Chinese Embassy and congressional staffers. The Chinese Embassy told Politico in a statement that it was lobbying for all Chinese companies to be treated fairly, not just TikTok.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Chinese Embassy for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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The legislation, led by House China Select Committee Chair Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., would block TikTok in the U.S. if ByteDance does not divest from it within 165 days of passage. It would also require it to be bought by a country that is not a U.S. adversary.
TikTok’s critics have long called the social media app a national security threat. They have cited concerns about the Chinese government’s ability to leverage its power over ByteDance to access sensitive user data, even in the U.S., something the company has denied.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
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