Photo: IC

After a ban of more than three years, the US government has permitted the use of TikTok on federal devices, citing the fact that the social media app no longer poses a "national security threat" following the shift of its US operations to American investors. This development has drawn widespread attention. Some commented, "Suddenly there is no threat after ownership change," which highlighted that the previous ban was merely a political tool wielded by Washington.

On the surface, the latest lifting of restrictions on TikTok appears to be the natural outcome of having "gone through all the necessary procedures" - including restructuring and receiving a new security determination from the US Department of Justice. Fundamentally, however, the move stems from the fact that the cost of a total ban is simply too high. The fierce backlash such a forced shutdown would trigger within American society is something no politician wants to face. To a certain extent, a complete ban on TikTok is something the US is actually incapable of carrying out. US President Donald Trump himself is a "top influencer" on the platform, having repeatedly claimed to be "No.1" dominating its charts.

The saga surrounding the ban on TikTok achieved a "soft landing," a development that highlights at least two key points. First, the entry of Chinese enterprises into the US market is mutually beneficial. According to 2024 estimates by Oxford Economics, TikTok directly contributes over $20 billion annually to US GDP and directly supports more than 200,000 jobs, with an even larger number of workers indirectly linked to the platform. Even when differences arise, they can be resolved through rational, compliant business negotiations, leading to solutions that align with market rules and Chinese law while balancing the interests of all parties.

On the other hand, those who once vociferously claimed that TikTok was "poisoning the minds of Americans" and who made a living by peddling narratives of "China's collapse" or the "China threat" narrative are bound to be increasingly cast aside by American society. Take, for instance, the anti-China "pundit" Gordon Chang. For years, he has built a career by clamoring that TikTok is a tool for Chinese infiltration of the US and loudly advocating for a ban on the platform. Yet, Trump has publicly criticized Chang by name twice this year. On one occasion, he directly addressed Chang's fallacious arguments regarding TikTok, criticizing his remarks on China as "always so negative," likening them to alarmist claims that "the world is falling down," which are "not true."  

The latest lifting of restrictions on TikTok at the US federal government level marks another step toward normalized operations for the company, while simultaneously signaling that the world of the likes of Gordon Chang has once again collapsed. As the US and China continue to build a stable relationship, those who profit from fear-mongering and make a living by peddling anti-China sentiment will sooner or later lose their livelihoods entirely. This is because American society will eventually realize that the true threat to its security is not some foreign nation, but rather these troublemakers who thrive on chaos and wish for nothing but disorder.