Photo: AP.

Exit TikTok, Enter Xiahongshu?

As rivalry between the two nations slowly turn into what some are calling a “Cold War” and formerly friendly relations further sink into memory, the saga has given a vision of another kind of relationship; a vision where the two sides don’t purely see each other through hostility and where people from the two countries can even become “friends”

HAZAR GÖKÇEN ÖNEY

16.01.2025

Amidst the looming ban on TikTok in the United States, another app originating from China has suddenly skyrocketed in popularity; Xiahongshu, also known as RedNote.

TikTok is a short-form video app developed by the Chinese company ByteDance. The company also hosts another parallel China-only version of the app called Douyin; the apps, which function mostly the same except some differences, are not interactable and closed from each other, meaning Douyin users cannot interact with international TikTok content and vice versa. TikTok has grown rapidly in popularity, especially since 2019, prompting many other social media apps such as Instagram and YouTube to copy its short video form.

TikTok’s skyrocketing popularity has also drawn increasing scrutiny from the United States government, with this also coming amidst the backdrop of increasing tensions between China and the United States. In 2020, President Donal d Trump’s administration, backed by China-hawkish officials such as trade advisor Peter Navarro and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, formally announced that the government would ban the app across the country if ByteDance did not divest from the app; the order was later expanded to several other Chinese apps including WeChat. TikTok announced legal action against the US government. Ultimately, Trump’s executive order was rescinded by Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump in 2021.

That would not be the end of TikTok’s troubles, however. In the following years, most US states passed local laws to ban TikTok from government devices, ultimately leading to a ban on TikTok in all federal government devices by the Biden administration. In 2024, the United States Congress passed, and President Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA), which creates broad provisions for the US government to ban any app controlled by a “foreign adversary” (which includes China, Russia, North Korea and Iran) if the United States President wants to, while explicitly applying to ByteDance and TikTok. While explicitly applying to TikTok, the bill could theoretically mean the US President can ban any app owned by a Chinese company, including but not limited to WeChat, Xiahongshu, or other Chinese social media apps.

The bill bans distribution, maintenance and updating of the designated apps by web hosting services and app stores, unless the app’s owners divest within 270 days after being designated as a “foreign adversary-controlled application” by the US President. This effectively would mean companies like Apple and Microsoft would have to take the app off their app stores. While the app itself would not be removed from user’s devices automatically, people wouldn’t be able to update it, quickly rendering it unusable in a few months. If the companies don’t comply, they would be charged 5,000 dollars per every US user, which would very quickly amount to 100 of billions, something even a company like Apple cannot afford.

TikTok challenged the ban, and the case is currently being reviewed by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), which has signaled it will allow the ban to go on. However, recently, there has been another twist in the saga; the re-election of Donald Trump as president.

Trump, who popularized the idea of a ban in the first place, has taken a 180-degree turn, saying now that America shouldn’t ban the app after all. The reasons behind such a turn are unknown, but possible reasons include Jeff Yass, an American billionaire who has invested billions in Trump’s presidential campaign, as well as Trump giving credit to TikTok for his electoral fortunes (he has repeatedly said he is very popular on TikTok). How he could overturn such a ban is unclear; the law does give a provision to delay the ban by one time for 90 days if a path to divest the app from its owner has been identified, there has been significant progress on this, and legally binding agreements have been signed. There is no such proposal yet, forever, and the Chinese government seems to be reluctant to approve a sale of the app to a US owner.

Additionally, despite Trump’s own 180-degree turn over the issue, many of his appointees such as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr and trade advisor Peter Navarro (who has returned back) have supported a ban. There have been reports, however, that the Chinese government proposed Elon Musk buy the operations of US TikTok. It is not hard to see why China would like such a deal; Musk, who has become a very close ally of Trump in 2024, can credibly be called one of the most China-friendly and powerful individuals in America, and he has extensive business ties in China through Tesla. Trump would also like such a deal, as it would give the Republican Party influence over another large social media app; Musk already owns X, formerly known as Twitter, while Zuckerberg announced numerous Trump-friendly policies and appointments in his social media empire, which includes Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

Amidst a looming ban, another interesting twist has taken place. Many American users have downloaded Xiaohongshu, which has popularly been called in Western media as China’s alternative to Instagram. This has even lead to the app becoming the most downloaded app in the United States. Xiaohongshu, also called RedNote, allows people to share numerous topics ranging from lifestyle, fashion, hobbies, makeup advice, travels and celebrities. The app, which only has a Chinese interface, is especially popular among middle class and young girls in urban areas in China, who make up the vast majority of its user base; according to various estimates, more than 70-80 percent of the app’s users are Chinese women born in or after the 1990s. Many users on the app share lifestyle advice, shopping recommendations, fashion and makeup tips. Though its name translates to “Little Red Book”, this is not a reference Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s book called “Quotations from Mao Zedong”, as some Western users have mistakenly said.

Many American users using the app have called themselves “TikTok refugees”, and there have been numerous lighthearted interactions between Chinese and the new American users, something remarkable due to how little these types of interactions have fallen to, as the competition between America and China have morphed over everything. Even though they don’t speak Chinese, the new foreign users have posted numerous posts asking for help by Chinese to navigate the app. Many Chinese users have jokingly called themselves “Chinese spies”, humorously asking American users their data. Some American users asked for Chinese lessons, while some Chinese users asked for help in their English homeworks. Many shared memes, pictures, as well as short videos with on fashion, make-up and travel. 

In 2021, a similar furor of Chinese-American online communication took place on the social media app Clubhouse. However, it was not like the case of RedNote, as Clubhouse was an audio application with English as the medium. In RedNote’s case, instant translation possibilities and visuals make it more appealing for international users. Moreover, Clubhouse was blocked by the Chinese authorities as Chinese and American users engaged in dialogues in virtual chat rooms about political issues.

Will the RedNote friendship across the Pacific survive?

 The United States law that bans TikTok also gives provisions to ban any Chinese apps, which includes Xiaohongshu. Trump’s incoming government is dominated by some of the most anti-China hardline officials in United States politics, and many are likely to be alarmed by the popularity of a Chinese app, even though Xiaohongshu is overwhelmingly non-political. However, as rivalry between the two nations slowly turn into what some are calling a “Cold War” and formerly friendly relations further sink into memory, the saga has given a vision of another kind of relationship; a vision where the two sides don’t purely see each other through hostility and where people from the two countries can even become “friends”.