TikTok CEO Shou Chew recently joined the CEOs of tech companies including Meta, Snap and X in testifying before U.S. lawmakers about concerns about the harmful effects of social media on children. A viral video of the hearing shows U.S. Senator Tom Cotton repeatedly questioning Mr. Zhou about his nationality and possible ties to the Chinese Communist Party .

“As you often say, you said today that you live in Singapore. Which country are you a citizen of?” Senator Cotton asked.

Mr Chow confirmed that he is a Singaporean and mentioned that Singapore does not allow its citizens to hold dual nationality.

However, Mr Cotton went on to ask whether Mr Zhou was a citizen of any other country and whether he had ever applied for Chinese citizenship. Mr. Zhou answered “no” to both questions. Mr Cotton then asked him if he was a member of the Chinese Communist Party, and Mr Chow said: “Not a senator, I repeat, I am a Singaporean.”

See the viral video here:

“Senator, I’m Singaporean.” tictok CEO Shou Zi Chew and Republican Senator Tom Cotton had a bizarre exchange during a US Senate hearing focused on child safety online. #Tik ​​Tok#politics#social media#onlinepic.twitter.com/6IrdvIjXmU

— C.Vision (@CVisionwear) February 3, 2024

During the hearing, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas questioned Mr. Zhou on his appointment as CEO, arguing that his appointment coincided with the Chinese Communist Party’s acquisition of ByteDance’s main Chinese subsidiary 1% of the shares. Mr. Chew dismissed any connection, saying: “It’s a coincidence.” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., pressed Mr. Chew on TikTok’s ties to China and its Communist Party.

It was Mr. Zhou’s first appearance before U.S. lawmakers since March, when the Chinese short-video app company faced tough questions, including some suggesting the app was harming children’s mental health and that user data could be compromised. was passed on to the Chinese government. .

CNN According to reports, the inquiry was held during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing of CEOs of major technology companies, who have faced intense scrutiny over the potential harm of their platforms to teenagers.

The video aroused enthusiastic responses from netizens.

“Chow, who was forced to reiterate his Singaporean citizenship multiple times, defended TikTok’s commitment to internet security and its Texas plans, highlighting efforts to prevent foreign influence from affecting the work of American creators,” one user wrote. .”

“I can’t believe I’m on the side of billionaires but not enough people are talking about this. Again no one cares about the blatant racism against Asians because it’s so normalized. Has anyone noticed Zhou Shou Is the only one of the ‘big CEOs’ who gets so much hate,” another user wrote on X.

A third user commented: “I’m sorry that you asked a Singaporean CEO on an international platform a question about other countries’ political leaders that even the official Singaporean representative couldn’t answer?”