Amazon questioned by US Congress over TikTok e-commerce deal
Some see the collaboration allowing users to directly buy Amazon goods through the ByteDance-owned app as a way to make it harder to ban TikTok
The House Select Committee on China summoned Amazon in September to discuss with staffers a high-profile shopping partnership the two companies announced in August, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The meeting has not been previously reported.
The Committee, which seeks to address perceived threats posed by China’s government, was concerned that a leading American company central to the economy had partnered with a Chinese-owned company on the verge of being banned over national security concerns.
“The Select Committee conveyed to Amazon that it is dangerous and unwise for Amazon to partner with TikTok given the grave national security threat the app poses,” a spokesperson for the Select Committee on China told Bloomberg.
An Amazon spokesperson said via email, “Like many other US companies, we maintain open lines of communication with officials across all levels of government to discuss issues that are of interest to policymakers, our employees, and our customers.” TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.
