(Preview) TikTok in the Crosshairs; Why Divestment Is Unlikely; Special Interests vs. National Interests; US Internet Firms in China

Sharp China with Bill Bishop

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Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism

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On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a week of surprising progress for the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. With the House set to vote Wednesday, they discuss the origins of the bill and months of work behind the scenes, TikTok’s now-infamous in-app alert, and why Beijing is likely to oppose any divestment plan if the bill eventually becomes law. From there: The factions in Washington that are opposing this bill, regulatory obstacles for American Internet companies in China, alignment or lack thereof between US business interests and Beijing, and what the next few months for TikTok and Congress could signify. At the end: A report that Li Qiang won’t attend this year’s China Development Forum, Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius lobbies for lower tariffs in the EU, and a few final notes from the Two Sessions.

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Bytedance/TikTok should be panicking; Two Sessions; Houses are for living in; Debt; Online nationalist frenzies — Sinocism

Xinhua says Xi a reformer like Deng; TikTok; PRC-Philippine discussions leaked; Vanke; Premier Li — Sinocism

TikTok Crackdown Shifts Into Overdrive, With Sale or Shutdown on Table — Wall Street Journal

How TikTok Was Blindsided by U.S. Bill That Could Ban It — Wall Street Journal

Annual Threat Assment of the U.S. Intelligence Community — ODNI

House's bipartisan bid to rein in TikTok looks set to stall in the Senate — Politico

Post by Brendan Carr on X — @BrendanCarrFCC

Donald Trump Opposes TikTok Ban Because It Would Boost Business for Facebook and ‘Zuckerschmuck,’ a ‘True Enemy of the People’ — Variety

TikTok Struggles to Protect U.S. Data From Its China Parent — Wall Street Journal

Chinese president snubs Mark Zuckerberg’s request for baby name — The Telegraph

How Microsoft’s Bing Helps Maintain Beijing’s Great Firewall — Bloomberg

Mercedes-Benz boss urges Brussels to cut tariffs on Chinese EVs — Financial Times

Exclusive: Chinese Premier Li to skip meeting with global CEOs at key business summit — Reuters

Post by China in Pictures on X — @taongbingxue