In recent years, Chinese companies have become increasingly active in the US e-commerce market. Chinese-owned companies Temu and Shein started to grab a share from e-commerce giant Amazon. It was stated that TikTok will also be included in the race.
Social media platform TikTok is reportedly preparing to rival Amazon in the US. It was stated that the platform aims to grow its e-commerce operations in the US tenfold this year to $ 17.5 billion. The company announced that it was used by more than 5 million US customers during the discount campaigns in November. It was stated that TikTok Shop's 2024 targets were discussed in internal meetings.
The US had expressed concerns about TikTok in previous years. It sued the social media platform in March 2023 for using deceptive methods. The White House had instructed federal agencies to remove the China-based TikTok application from devices. The state of South Dakota banned state employees from accessing TikTok from devices belonging to official institutions. TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew testified in Congress on charges of spying for the Chinese government. The US has imposed many trade and technology bans on China and Chinese companies.
