How TikTok escalated the new tech Cold WarBeijing’s sudden imposition of technology export rules, which may delay or even kill the sale of TikTok to an American buyer, is a new front in China’s intensifying economic battle with the U.S. Other companies are preparing for collateral damage. If China blocks a deal, the Trump administration could retaliate in what may become an endless cycle of escalation. The White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, one of the administration’s top China hawks, threatened yesterday to crack down on more Chinese-made apps. More companies could get hurt. Further crackdowns by Washington and Beijing could hurt both Western companies’ competitiveness in the world’s second-biggest economy and that of their Chinese counterparts in the U.S.

Source: New York Times September 01, 2020 10:52 UTC