China urges U.S. not to open 'Pandora's Box': MOFA

China urges the U.S. not to open the "Pandora's Box" and politicize economic issues, said China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday, responding to the heated discussion of the U.S.' recent ban on TikTok.

"The company (TikTok) does business in the U.S. in accordance with market principles and international rules, and abides by U.S. laws and regulations, but the U.S. imposes restrictions out of groundless excuses, which is completely political manipulation," said MOFA spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

In fact, the U.S. has frequently used state machinery to suppress enterprises of other countries. The U.S. should not open the "Pandora's Box," or it will suffer the consequences of its own doing, said Wang.

Wang called for the U.S. to listen to the voice of its people and the international community, to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for all market entities doing business in the country, and do more things that are conducive to the global economic development.

ByteDance CEO: U.S. goal is not just a sale

ByteDance CEO Zhang Yiming in an internal letter to employees on Tuesday said the goal of the United States was not to force a sale of TikTok's U.S. operations but rather a "complete ban," and some people had misconceptions about the situation.

"The point is not whether the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) forces TikTok's sale of U.S. business to American companies on the grounds that the Musical.ly merger endangers its national security. (Although this is unreasonable, it was still carried out in legal process. As a company, we have no choice but to abide by the law)," said Zhang.

Recently, anti-China sentiment has risen significantly in a number of countries. Some politicians have fully attacked China and Chinese companies, creating an anti-China atmosphere at least in the short term, Zhang added.

"Even people with a more comprehensive perspective and pertinent views cannot publicly air evenhanded opinions. Therefore, we must also make of the situation of non-Chinese employees in particular, and gear up for more difficulties in the future."

Zhang said he hopes employees care less about short-term damage and do the right thing patiently. "We ought to look at the immediate challenges and pressures from the long-term development and pursue high standards in protecting the interests of users and fulfilling corporate social responsibility," he said.

(Cover via VCG)