The US has a history of exerting its national power to crack down on successful foreign enterprises. TikTok isn’t the first case.
For example, in the 1980s, the US initiated a trade war with Japan to suppress the latter’s economic and technological competitiveness. At that time, Japanese companies was very competitive in the world semiconductor industry, accounting for 50 percent of the global market in 1986. The US, therefore, took a series of measure using treaties and sanctions to force Japanese companies to give up their market share. By 2020, the US had occupied 50 percent of the global semiconductor industry market, with only 10 percent left to Japan.
The US also used long-arm jurisdiction to pressure French company Alstom, the energy industry giant, to sell its power and grid business to its main competitor, General Electric, through which the US gained partial control of most French nuclear power plants.
Co-presented by GDToday and School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University
Cartoon designer | Chen Mingyi (intern)
Editor | Wing, Steven, Lydia
