Amid rising tension in bilateral relations between China and the United States, Tim Cook just arrived in Beijing. The CEO of Apple has been received between applause, hubbub and admiration. In parallel, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is in Washington, but has little reason to celebrate inside US borders.
The reasons behind the trips of these high-level executives are very different, reveal a curious contrast and are not without some controversy. But, despite everything, they have some points in common: both Cook and Chew respond to the interests of the companies they represent, which are huge in number of users around the world.
Tim Cook, like a rock star
Steve Jobs’ successor has traveled more than 10,000 kilometers to participate in the China Development Foruman event that has not been held since 2019 and is of vital importance to the Asian giant. According to Bloombergis the axis of the country’s new commercial strategy, which aims to demonstrate that it “is back” in the world after COVID.
The organizers have defined the axes of this year’s forum with the motto “Economic recovery: opportunities and cooperation”. in that line expect them to participate in person hundreds of representatives of companies in strategic areas linked to the Asian country. Among them, finance, technology and pharmaceuticals stand out.
Historically, the forum has been presented as an opportunity for foreign executives to dialogue with members of the Chinese Communist Party about the businesses they carry out in their territory. In this sense, it is no secret that Apple is a very important player in the lands led by Xi Jinping due to a set of factors.
Tim Cook is in Beijing, while Shou Zi Chew is in DC. What a Sino-US relations in 2023 #Manzana #TikTok pic.twitter.com/DlzyRtnq60
— qimei (@Qimeiluo) March 24, 2023
The Cupertino company, thanks to its association with Foxconn and other companies, has entrusted the Asian giant with the manufacture of a large number of its devices. In addition, it has been offering its products in the country for some time, a massive market of enormous proportions that, despite communist demands, He has done his best not to give up.
Cook appears in this forum as a representative of one of the most valuable companies in the world with strong ties to Chinaso strong that even in 2018 was chosen to co-chair the meeting. And, before this edition that will begin tomorrow Saturday, the big boss of the apple brand visited an Apple Store in Sanlitun, Beijing.
Chinese workers assemble a MacBook Pro in Shanghai, China.
The part of the cover image where we see Cook is from a selfie captured during this initial visit. According to local newspaper CQBC, she made a surprise appearance at the store, which automatically aroused the interest of customers. As if it were a rock star, they did not hesitate to take selfies with him.
Now, not everything seems perfect on this trip. Apple has begun a long process to reduce its dependence on China. Cupertino’s already manufactures some of its products inside the United States and is preparing to open production centers in India and Vietnam, a move that may not please Chinese officials.
On the other hand, the visit takes place in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the recent meeting between Putin and Xi. In addition to the growing commercial tension, it skyrocketed in the days of Donald Trump with the commercial blockades and that has continued during the administration of Joe Biden. This brings us to why Shou Zi Chew is in America.
Shou Zi Chew, amid espionage accusations
TikTok is one of the applications of the moment. In recent years it has experienced a meteoric rise worldwide. In the case of the United States, it is located in third place of the “Top Free App” of the App Store ahead of Instagram, the Meta proposal that has Reels and other functions to compete directly with the Chinese app.
But TikTok has raised major concerns regarding the privacy and national security of the North American country. At the time, Trump threatened to veto the app. and although Biden revoked the measures that his predecessor had imposed, raised scrutiny over the application, a scenario that in recent weeks has only worsened.
‘ByteDance is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government’ — TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew addressed US lawmakers’ concerns over who owns the popular social media app pic.twitter.com/ZeLxPbLCQQ
—NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 23, 2023
Arguing that China may be using its national security laws to force TikTok to collect and deliver user data, among other things, the CEO of the social network, Shou Zi Chew, was called to appear before a committee of the US Congress where Democrats and Republicans launched forceful questions.
One of the points of the questioning revolved around the idea that US user data is beyond the reach of the Chinese authorities. This led Chew to argue that TikTok’s parent ByteDance “is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government” and that part of its board of directors is made up of Americans.
The congressmen, moreover, did not skimp on their questions and were incisive when it came to obtaining answers about a alleged espionage, a situation that resulted in an atmosphere of tension at almost all times. As we said earlier, the appearance does not seem to have given good results for Chew or for the future of TikTok in the United States.
Chew’s trip this week has been far from being captured in selfies. Instead he has been scarred by his efforts to ensure TikTok’s survival in the United States, a danger to the company whose moves by China seem unhelpful. The United States proposes to sell the American division and from the Asian country, for reasons that only they know, they reject that idea.
Images: Captures Weibo and television | Manzana
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