Representatives from Amazon.com were called to Capitol Hill for a closed-door meeting with a key House committee earlier this fall to answer questions about the retail giant’s deepening relationship with the Chinese-owned video-sharing app 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.
The meeting took place a month after Amazon and TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, unveiled their collaboration allowing TikTok users to buy products on Amazon without ever leaving the viral video app. Users can make Amazon purchases directly through ads they see in their TikTok feeds, and link their Amazon and TikTok accounts to expedite the process. The accounts then remain synced for future purchases.
