That’s true in two ways.

First, TikTok does not actually operate in China. ByteDance’s social media presence in Communist China looks very different and closely abides by the rules and values of the Communist regime. That is to say that it does not promote teenage girls mutilating themselves, sexualizing themselves or supporting Hamas.

Second, ByteDance is now saying that it would rather eliminate TikTok than be forced to sell its American presence.

The arguments over TikTok have revolved around a so-called ban, but whether a ban is a good idea or not, no federal move has actually banned it. Instead, both times, there was a forced sale of TikTok to an American company.

The Chinese regime can complain about it, but that sort of thing routinely happens to American companies in China so it doesn’t have a leg to stand on there.

TikTok intends to fight a forced sale by claiming that it violates the First Amendment rights of its users. That’s absurd. There is no right to a platform, only to speech. Platforms don’t have speech, they host it.

But in any case no one except the Chinese Communist Party is forcing a shutdown of TikTok. That’s a decision that ByteDance is threatening to make rather than sell TikTok. But that is its choice. And in that case it’s China and ByteDance that are banning TikTok.

Why would a company rather kill a top product than sell it? It’s a move that makes no financial sense, but if you understand TikTok as a massive influence and intelligence gathering op by Beijing then it makes perfect sense.

It’s irrational to kill a successful company rather than profit by its sale, but it’s wholly rational for a government to kill an intelligence tool rather than let it fall into the hands of the enemy.

TikTok is just once again admitting what it really is.