As the U.S. Congress recently held a hearing on China’s video-sharing platform ‘TikTok’ and launched a bipartisan offensive to ban TikTok, concerns are growing that this move could turn into a hate crime against Asians. It emphasizes the dangers of TikTok in the US Congress and abuses expressions such as “weapons of the Chinese Communist Party” and “spies in Americans’ pockets” to stimulate anti-Asian sentiment.
On the 26th (local time), CNN reported that Asian Americans could be exposed to the most serious hate crime since the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) due to the controversy over the withdrawal of TikTok. At the time, when the former administration of Donald Trump poured out racist remarks, such as calling Corona 19 the “Chinese virus” and “Wuhan virus,” hate crimes against Asians surged.
House Representative Andy Kim (Democratic New Jersey), a Korean who attended the TikTok hearing, said after the hearing, “Recent remarks (related to TikTok) are structured in a zero-sum method. It is raising tensions as if their (Chinese) way of life is incompatible with ours.” Another Korean-American, Representative Young Kim (Republican, California), said, “There is no doubt that hate crimes against Asia are on the rise after Corona 19.” did.
There are also concerns that the ‘national security threat’ that the US Congress is holding as the basis for the withdrawal of TikTok could be used to threaten the rights of many Asian Americans. “National security has been used as an excuse to oppress Asian Americans,” John Yang, chairman of the Asian American Association for the Advancement of Justice (AAAJ), a non-profit organization for Asian Americans, told CNN. The same logic was used to discriminate against Muslim Americans after the 11th attacks,” he pointed out.
CNN reported the story of Ellen Min, a Korean-American born in Pennsylvania. Min says she is refraining from going to grocery stores, bars, etc. as her recent tik-tok blitz has intensified. His parents closed the family business last year and returned to Korea. “We want our families to be close by, but they will definitely be safer in Korea,” Min told CNN. “It’s a sad reality.”
In the midst of this, the U.S. Congress is expected to launch an all-out offensive with the TikTok hearing as an opportunity. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, tweeted on the 26th that “the House will advance legislation to protect Americans from the technology of the Chinese Communist Party’s tentacles.” The White House said, “The TikTok restriction law is an action by Congress and is not a matter for the government to decide.” There is also an analysis that the Biden administration is showing a cautious attitude while promoting TikTok regulation, concerned about a decline in the approval rating of young people.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.