"Do we really want to emulate Chinese speech bans?" US Republican Senator Rand Paul said responding to calls for unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill

While TikTok is not available in China, Chew's hearing was closely watched in the country, with many expressing sympathy for the short video app's chief

The boss of the Chinese video-sharing app goes before a Washington committee on Thursday with the US pushing to ban it over security fears

"If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn't solve the problem," a TikTok spokesperson said, responding to the US threat