U.S. Sen Tom Cotton asked TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who is Singaporean, if he had a relationship with the Chinese Communist party during a hearing. People online are now making fun of him because the senator can’t tell the difference between China and Singapore while some are concerned about his racism.
Cotton, R-Ark, asked a series of weird questions to Chew at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on child safety, where senators questioned the CEOs of Meta, X, Discord and Snap.
“Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party,” Cotton asked Chew after asking the CEO multiple questions about what country he was a citizen of.
“Senator, I’m Singaporean. No,” Chew replied as if the question was a joke.
“Have you ever been associated or affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party,” Cotton asked again.
“No, Senator. Again, I’m Singaporean!” he answered.
Singapore and China are two separate countries. It is possible that the senator, who holds a J.D. from Harvard, is either ignorant to distinguish between the two countries or is racist to assume that all Asians have connections to the Chinese Communist Party.
The hearing was serious and could lead to real legislation about social media. However, Senator Cotton’s irrelevant question made it clear that he may not have the qualifications to regulate social media properly.
He even proudly posted on Twitter that he asked irrelevant questions to Chew, and affirmed that the TikTok’s CEO has a relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.
