Chinese CCP insider slams Australia banning TikTok from all government devices: ‘It’s racism’
A Chinese Communist Party insider has labeled Australia’s decision to ban TikTok from all government agencies over national security fears as “racism”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued the directive following an investigation by the Home Office into the risks posed by the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.
Australia’s ban follows similar moves by the US, Canada and several European countries, which have also declared TikTok a security threat.
But Victor Gao, a former diplomat close to the communist regime, said: “Falsified and inflated national security concerns should be avoided. And it’s probably racism.’
Speaking 60 minutesMr Gao said the ban would enrage China and inflame tensions between the countries.
A Chinese Communist Party insider has labeled Australia’s decision to ban TikTok (pictured) from all government devices over national security fears as ‘racism’
Australians really need to have faith in their own system, rather than being threatened by TikTok. The ban is not a sign of force,” he said.
“It’s not a sign of superiority, it’s not a sign of confidence. It’s just the opposite.’
Federal Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus, said the ban “will go into effect as soon as possible.”
State and territory governments are expected to enact similar bans, which will apply to cellphones and other devices issued by the government to politicians and officials.
But Mr Gao said security fears are not the reason behind the ban.
“Probably it’s racism, probably it’s racial discrimination, probably it’s another ban on Chinese people, which was a disaster years ago,” he said.
‘Do you want to do that again? It won’t be a success.’
He also warned that Australia should be careful to protect its relationship with China.
“I would urge the Australian government to really treat China as an equal, because you don’t want to have an enemy with 1.4 billion people,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) has issued a directive to ban TikTok from all Australian government devices
Victor Gao (pictured), spokesman for the communist regime and former diplomat, said: ‘Falsified and inflated concerns about national security must be avoided’
Concerns about TikTok are related to the possibility of data being collected and made accessible by the Chinese government under national laws that may compel companies to hand over information.
ByteDance, owner of the social media app, denied that its user data could be provided to Beijing, saying TikTok posed no risk to Australians.
“We are extremely disappointed by this decision, which we believe is driven by politics, not facts,” Lee Hunter, general manager of TikTok in Australia and New Zealand, said after the ban was announced.
“We are also disappointed that TikTok, and the millions of Australians who use it, have been made aware of this decision through the media, despite our repeated offers to engage constructively with the government about this policy.
“Again… there is no evidence that TikTok poses any security risk to Australians and should not be treated any differently than other social media platforms.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Katy Gallagher took a very different view of the matter, saying: “This has been informed by the advice of security authorities on the work that has been done and provided to the government”.
Australia’s ban follows similar steps by the US, Canada and several European countries, which have also declared TikTok (app pictured) as a security threat
The US government is reportedly considering going even further by enforcing a nationwide ban on TikTok, not just from government agencies.
Australia’s move to ban the app on government devices comes after more than three years of bitter hostilities with China.
Tensions flared in 2020 during the Covid pandemic when the Morrison government called for an independent investigation into the origins of Covid-19, which originated in Wuhan.
Beijing reacted angrily to the call for transparency and handed Australia $20 billion in arbitrary trade bans and tariffs on key exports such as coal, beef, cotton, wine, barley, timber and lobsters.
Chinese officials also released an extraordinary list of 14 grievances the authoritarian state had with Australia – ranging from “racist attacks against Asian people” to siding with the “United States anti-China campaign” and criticizing Beijing from Australian media.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (pictured) promised his country would strengthen its military in response to the AUKUS plan
In February, it was reported that Beijing was preparing to reverse sanctions on beef, timber and other exports.
But the welcome news came just before Mr Albanese announced the $368 billion AUKUS nuclear submarine deal along with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
China warned that the US, UK and Australia are on a “path of error and danger” that will result in “years of confrontation”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping promised that his country would strengthen its military in response to the AUKUS plan.