Fearing a Huawei-like ban following a 2019 national security probe, TikTok hired Kevin Mayer, a former Walt Disney executive, as CEO in an effort to improve its standing in the US. The platform even left Hong Kong in 2020 to signal independence from China. To no avail. President Joe Biden’s efforts to investigate it culminated in a congressional grilling of the next chief executive, Chew Shou Zi, in March 2023.
Pressed on whether TikTok was Chinese, Chew sidestepped the question, saying only that the app was unavailable in China and based in Los Angeles and Singapore. Though Chew comported himself well, his argument was unconvincing.
The lesson? Simply downplaying Chinese ties was not enough to avoid political scrutiny. Eventually, the Trump White House brokered a deal to create a US-controlled TikTok to which ByteDance licenses its algorithm.
“CHINAMAXXING” TAKES OFF
Concern over TikTok’s future drove many young Americans to check out RedNote and contributed to a tonal shift over the past few months in how some, especially Gen Z, view China.
A trend called “Chinamaxxing” has taken over social media feeds with influencers drinking hot water, using chopsticks, or engaging in other ways of “becoming Chinese.” An association with Made in China hasn’t alienated the wider US public, despite tough talk.
