TikTok Sues the US Government Over New Law | China In Focus

Welcome to China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. Our top story. TikTok is slapping the U.S. government with a lawsuit that says its Chinese owner battles to keep its control of the app and access to its 170 million American users. Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping spends his second day in Europe, wrapping up a meeting in France. He's next headed to Serbia and Hungary. What's drawing him there? Beijing lashing out after its jet dropped flares that Australia says could have downed a warplane. We have made very strong representations at every level to China about this incident, which we regard as unprofessional and unacceptable. And tens of thousands of U.K. troops hit in a suspected Chinese hack on Britain's system. Details on the military cyber attack. TikTok taking the U.S. government to court. That says its Chinese owner battles to keep its access to millions of Americans' minds and attention spans. Here are the details. TikTok sued the U.S. government on Tuesday. Its Chinese owner is fighting to keep control of the app. This comes after President Biden signed a law that would get TikTok removed from U.S. app stores unless it finds a non-Chinese owner by next January. TikTok alleged the law violates the First Amendment, saying it's not feasible to sell its U.S. operations. It also argues that China doesn't allow the app to sell its algorithm, which pushes content to users. For the U.S., the main goal is to rid the app of its Chinese control and ownership. We're not wanting to kill TikTok. You in the U.S. who like it, you can use it. We're just going to get the nefarious hand of the Chinese Communist Party out of our open media system. TikTok is one of a few Chinese apps that have seen blockbuster success in the U.S. TikTok content wields significant influence over Americans. The app has 170 million U.S. users and became a top news source for Gen Z Americans. What's more, it's a source of livelihood for some U.S. content creators. Even the Biden campaign joined the platform to reach young voters. Game or commercials? Game. Game or halftime show? Game. But lawmakers have been concerned that Beijing could use TikTok to spy on Americans and sway U.S. public opinion. The legal fight is set to play out in court over the next few months. The case could end up in the Supreme Court. It's Chinese leader Xi Jinping's second day in Europe. He sat down with French President Emmanuel Macron for lunch before taking off for his next stop, Serbia. The French president hoped to convince Xi to loosen up on trade imbalances between China and Europe, especially when it comes to access for European companies in China and cutting subsidies for Chinese exporters. According to Beijing state-run media, Xi and Macron called for a political settlement for the Iran nuclear issue. On the Israel-Hamas war, they also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Worth noting, China does not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. The regime has even pushed for Palestine to become a member of Meanwhile, Xi's next stop is Serbia. His trip there comes on the 25th anniversary of NATO's accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. China remains Serbia's largest source of foreign investment, especially in infrastructure development. The communist regime runs mines and factories across Serbia and has lent the country billions of dollars for roads, bridges and new After Serbia, Xi is slated to visit Hungary. The Chinese Communist Party leader's visit to France and other European nations comes amid strained relations over trade issues and the Ukraine war. NTD's France correspondent David Vives spoke to a French senator about the goal of the visit. Since the first day of Xi Jinping's tour in Paris, the French president seemed to be distancing himself from his Chinese counterpart. Rather than greeting him at the airport as protocol would dictate, Emmanuel Macron opted to meet him alongside the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a move that appeared to prioritize the EU stance. Xi's visit coincides with escalating trade tensions as the European Union investigates several Chinese industries for unfair competition. Europe cannot accept market distorting practices that could lead to de-industrialization here at home. But it is not good for Europe if it harms our security and makes us vulnerable and this is why we act. The EU Commission would also like China to step back from military supports to Russia. We've also discussed China's commitment not to provide any lethal equipment to Russia. More effort is needed to curtail delivery of dual-use goods to Russia that find their way to the battlefield. The US ambassador to the NATO military alliance said recently that Beijing had been selling drone technology and gunpowder ingredients to Moscow. In the past two years, China-Russia trade has jumped 64%, equivalent to $240 billion. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit China later this month. In brief comment, Xi said he viewed his relation with Europe as a priority. However, the main takeaway of Xi's visit might not just be about trade relations. In a press conference at the Senate today, French Senator Olivier Cadic says the CCP's first secretary has geopolitical objectives. The Chinese first secretary needs to keep the European Union as far away from the United States as possible in order to isolate the United States. It's easy to understand their whole strategy, which is to try and divide us. So he will try to convince President Macron to separate from the United States, be autonomous, to take him down that route. After France, Xi Jinping will head to Serbia and Hungary. These countries have close ties with Russia while talking with European neighbors. His second strategy is to separate and divide us within the European Union. And it's no coincidence that I chose to go to Budapest. And of course, if he chooses to go to Serbia, it's only because it's one of the major candidates for membership of the European Union. Xi will visit the South French city on the 7th and will then head to Budapest on the 8th. David Vives, NTD News, Paris. Beijing flipping the script on a dangerous midair encounter with Australia, an incident that could have turned deadly. Here's more. China's foreign ministry on Monday accused an Australian aircraft of deliberately flying close to a Chinese jet, saying it endangered China's maritime security. The incident happened over the weekend above the Yellow Sea, the body of water between China and North Korea. Here's Australia's side of the story. Canberra said a Chinese jet fired flares in front of an Australian helicopter, forcing the pilot to take, quote, evasive action in order to not be hit. No injuries were reported, but the incident could have cost the Australian pilot's life. The flares could have downed the plane if its engine ingested them. Australia's prime minister lodged a diplomatic protest over the incident. We have made very strong representations at every level to China about this incident, which we regard as unprofessional and unacceptable. Chinese pilots also fired flares in front of a Canadian jet in the South China Sea last year. Beijing's ships and jets have been acting increasingly aggressive in the region, putting pilots, including those from the U.S., in danger. Last year, a Chinese warplane came within 10 feet of a U.S. bomber over the South China Sea. And it's not just one or two close calls. The U.S. has seen more than 180 such incidents, more in the last two years than in the decade before that. Also in those waters, Chinese Coast Guard ships have rammed Filipino boats, fired water cannons, and directed lasers at crew on board. Beijing's rising aggression has put other nations on high alert. We, the four countries, strongly oppose any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the South China Sea and any action that could escalate tensions. Defense ministers from the U.S., Australia, Japan, and the Philippines met last Friday to talk about China's actions in the South China Sea. A third of global shipping passes through the South China Sea. Some 40 percent of Europe's foreign trade also flows through the area. Beijing's provocation there is putting pressure on Germany. Berlin's sending two warships to the region Tuesday to bolster its military presence. The ship is set to transit the South China Sea, but it's unclear if it would sail through the Taiwan Strait like the U.S. warships did. A move like this could anger China, Germany's top trade partner. Back to Australia. Prime Minister Albanese said Chinese leader Xi Jinping would not visit Australia this year. That's six months after him sending the invite. Albanese said he expected to have some face-to-face engagement with Xi during G20 summits later this year. Personnel information tied to thousands of active-duty British service members has been hacked, and UK media say the hackers are linked to China. British officials said Tuesday that the names and bank details of serving British soldiers, sailors and air force members have been exposed. The breach affected almost all of the UK's troops, except the special forces, totaling around 270,000 people. A few thousand home addresses were also compromised. Updating lawmakers later Tuesday, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps refrained from directly accusing China of the attack. Instead, he described the hack as, quote, the suspected work of a malign actor. And they can't rule out state involvement. Earlier this year, the US and the UK charged seven hackers linked to China. They were accused of targeting US officials, journalists, among others. German authorities raided a European Parliament member's offices in Brussels. The action related to an aide who's accused of spying for China. Jiang Ji, the aide to Maximilian Krah of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, was arrested last month. At the time of the arrest, Krah said he learned about it from the media and denied personal wrongdoing. German prosecutors say authorities searched both Krah's office and that of the former aide. Krah confirmed the searches and said it didn't affect his work. The US and Philippine armed forces fired missiles and artillery to thwart a simulated invasion on Monday. That's as territorial disputes between Beijing and Manila escalate in the South China Sea. The drills are a show of military force and serve to strengthen ties between the US and the Philippines. The annual drills involve about 16,000 Filipino and American troops. This year, they began last month and will run until Friday. Many of the drills were set near Taiwan, about 250 miles off the island shore, emphasizing that one purpose is to counter China's rising aggression in the Indo-Pacific. The Chinese regime considers Taiwan its own, despite never having ruled the island. Last week, the Philippines accused China of using water cannons against their vessels in the region, damaging the ships. South Korea's defense minister has an update on a new defensive move. Seoul just held talks about joining part of a defense deal between the US, Britain and Australia. That's only weeks after the pact said it would consider including Japan. Watch. During the two-day meeting, we also discussed the possibility of partnering with AUKUS Pillar 2. AUKUS is an acronym for Australia, the UK and the US. The deal is a two-stage security pact formed in 2021. It's designed to counteract China's growing power in the Asia-Pacific region. Under the first stage, or Pillar 1, Washington and London agreed to provide Canberra with a fleet of submarines equipped with US nuclear technology. That nuclear technology is limited to the core trio and will not be shared with other possible members. The second stage, or Pillar 2, aims to share other military technology with friendly countries, like artificial intelligence plus hypersonic and electronic warfare systems. South Korean defense ministers said Seoul is also considering sharing its own defense, science and technological capabilities. That's all for today's China In Focus on YouTube. We're now sharing a shortened version of our program here after being demonetized for three years. If you'd like to support us, consider donating. Find us at donorbox.org slash china-in-focus, or subscribe to our partner platform, Epic TV, where you can watch our full episodes. Just click the link down below. Here's what to look out for in our second half. Coming up, at least two dead and 21 injured in a horrifying knife attack at a hospital in China. Witnesses describe a man in black wielding knives, leaving a trail of devastation. As the US imposes fresh sanctions, will China continue to aid Russia's war efforts in Ukraine? And what price is Russia paying to its ally? Our expert weighs in on Washington's latest move and recent raids of homes in Russia. And a new report says China remains the world's top jailer of journalists. It's a title the regime first earned last year and has maintained since then. More on that after the break here on China In Focus. Thanks for watching China In Focus. I'm Tiffany Meyer. See you tomorrow.