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Chinese tech firm ByteDance stated on Monday it was contemplating shifting the headquarters of its TikTok video sharing platform abroad, following a British media report that the unit might relocate to London.
TikTok is below heavy hearth from US President Donald Trump and different American politicians over considerations that it poses a nationwide safety danger, and Microsoft has emerged as a potential purchaser of TikTok’s US operations.
Britain’s Sun newspaper reported on Monday that ByteDance’s founders would quickly announce their intention to arrange store for TikTok in London, the place different tech majors similar to Google and Facebook have a powerful presence.
Asked in regards to the report, a spokesperson for ByteDance stated a global transfer for TikTok was into account.
“ByteDance is committed to being a global company. In light of the current situation, ByteDance has been evaluating the possibility of establishing TikTok’s headquarters outside of the US, to better serve our global users,” the spokesperson stated.
Britain’s authorities stated earlier on Monday that the situation of TikTok’s headquarters was a choice for the corporate.
“It would be a commercial decision, and I’m not aware that one has been taken,” a spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated.
Any transfer by ByteDance comes at a fraught time in relations between China and the West, exemplified by the battle over use in 5G telecom networks of package made by China’s Huawei.
Britain had been making an attempt to stroll a tightrope over Huawei till it sided with Washington final month by banning the corporate from its 5G networks from 2027.
TikTok, whose stars similar to Zachary King and Charli D’Amelio have gained worldwide reputation for their temporary video performances, has additionally been within the firing line of US President Donald Trump over supposed safety considerations.
Trump nonetheless reversed course on a plan to ban the app after Microsoft emerged as a potential purchaser of TikTok’s US operations and he gave the 2 corporations 45 days to provide you with a deal.
London has additionally clashed with Beijing over the imposition of a brand new safety regulation in Hong Kong however Johnson has stated he’s a Sinophile, and the British authorities would welcome one other giant tech funding in Britain significantly because the coronavirus disaster sends the economic system right into a deep recession and potential commerce disruptions loom over Brexit.
© Thomson Reuters 2020
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