TikTok is already looking ahead to a House vote and hopes the Senate will “take the facts into account.”

(CNN) — In a statement about the House vote on Wednesday, TikTok said its focus will now shift to the Senate, where the legislation’s fate is unclear.

“The process was secret and the bill was blocked for one reason: it’s a ban,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

“We hope the Senate will consider the facts, listen to its constituents and understand the impact on the economy, the 7 million small businesses and the 170 million Americans who use our service.”

For China, this is an “act of intimidation”.

China has described the possibility of banning TikTok as an “act of intimidation” and said the decision could backfire on the United States.

The comments by China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday came hours before the House of Representatives voted on legislation that would force TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the popular short video app to the American company. , or face a ban in the United. States, where it has over 170 million users.

“Although the United States has found no evidence of how TikTok threatens its national security, it has never stopped pursuing the company,” ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told CNN during a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

Wang accused the United States of “resorting to acts of intimidation” by failing to succeed in fair competition, saying such practices would disrupt market operations, undermine investor confidence and undermine the global economic system.

“This is going to be counterproductive for the United States,” he said.

US officials and lawmakers have long expressed concern that the Chinese government could force TikTok parent ByteDance to hand over data collected from US users. They also fear the app could serve as a tool for Beijing to spread propaganda, disinformation or influence Americans.

Cybersecurity experts say the concerns surrounding TikTok, while alarming, are fanciful. US officials have not publicly presented evidence that the Chinese government accessed the data of American TikTok users, something lawmakers say their bill aims to prevent.

It is not yet clear what the future of the bill will be in the Senate. The House vote was 352 to 65, with 50 Democrats and 15 Republicans voting against it.

The TikTok app for download in the Apple App Store on a smartphone is displayed in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., Thursday, March 9, 2023. (Credit: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

In recent comments to reporters, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, rejected the bill’s characterization as a ban on TikTok.

“It’s not a ban,” he said. “That puts the decision to sever ties with the Chinese Communist Party squarely in TikTok’s hands. As long as ByteDance doesn’t own the company, TikTok can continue to exist… the fundamental ownership structure has to change.”

China has said in the past that it would “firmly oppose” any forced sale of TikTok.

“The sale or divestment of TikTok involves the export of technology, and administrative licensing procedures must be conducted in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations,” a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce said in March last year.

“The Chinese government will make a decision according to the law.”

On Chinese social media site Weibo, TikTok was among the trending topics on Wednesday, with the hashtag “TikTok Strikes Back” garnering 80 million views. Many users expressed support for the app and its efforts to challenge the bill, including a full-screen notification encouraging users to contact their representatives; Some even accuse the United States of being hypocritical.

“Let me make a joke: American society is liberal and democratic, and has a perfect market economy,” read one comment with 2,000 upvotes.

The state-run Global Times newspaper, a nationalist tabloid, has also come to TikTok’s defense.

In an editorial last week, he accused the United States of “openly trying to steal TikTok.”

“The image of freedom of speech and the rule of law in the United States is eroding, and the latest bill is further evidence of that,” he said.

This story was updated with House voting information.

CNN’s Brian Fung contributed to this story.