The emerging cold war is now playing out in the pockets of Americans

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Instead of a physical wall dividing a continent, the new cold war is being fought within the pockets of millions of Americans.

What was the focus of the congressional hearing on TikTok, and what did it reveal about the US-China relationship?

The congressional hearing on TikTok focused on concerns about the potential use of the Chinese-owned app by the Chinese Communist Party to gather intelligence on millions of Americans and shape the minds of young Americans with Chinese-made content or information that could suppress US principles of political freedom and human rights or create confusion or false narratives about American foreign policy. The hearing also revealed the increasing hostility toward Beijing’s new global heft and the extent to which the growing superpower confrontation is beginning to be felt in multiple corners of American life. The hearing underscored that China is being increasingly viewed not just as a rising threat to US security and economic dominance but also as an ideological challenge. TikTok’s CEO was questioned for five hours, and lawmakers from both parties expressed deep suspicion of TikTok. There was a pageant of political performance in the hearing, as lawmakers from both parties relished a chance to show who could be tough on China. TikTok’s statement bemoaned a day “dominated by political grandstanding that failed to acknowledge the real solutions already underway through Project Texas or productively address industry-wide issues of youth safety.” The hostility of some of the lawmakers illustrated how opposition to China has become one of the dominant organizing principles of Washington politics and a rare issue that unites both parties.