Republican Questioning Asian Man About China Turns Heads

Republican Senator Tom Cotton's questioning during a Senate Judiciary hearing on Wednesday sparked criticism on social media, with some calling it a form of racism.

Several tech leaders appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, including TikTok CEO Shou Chew, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, formerly Twitter, for a hearing called "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis. The leaders were to testify in front of Congress and the families of victims who were impacted by child sexual exploitation via digital platforms.

While questioning Chew, Cotton asked: "You said today, as you often say, that you live in Singapore. Of what nation are you a citizen?"

Chew said that he is Singaporean, prompting Cotton to continue his line of questioning, asking, "Have you ever applied for Chinese citizenship?"

"Have you ever been a member of the Chinese Communist Party?" Cotton asked, prompting Chew to say, "Senator, I'm Singaporean. No."

When asked again if he had any affiliations with the Chinese Communist Party, Chew said "No, Senator. Again, I'm Singaporean."

Newsweek reached out to Cotton's office via email for comment.

The tech leaders appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to discuss how their platforms are implementing different security measures as many have criticized social media platforms as having a negative effect on America's youth.

Committee Chairman Dick Durbin said last week that members "have extensively examined and investigated the plague of online child sexual exploitation through hearings, legislation, and oversight efforts."

Shortly after Cotton's questioning of Chew, many social media users criticized the Republican Senator, including one X user who wrote, "Tom Cotton unlocked new racisms here."

X user Bradley P. Moss wrote, "Not all Asians are the same."

Andrew Feinberg of The Independent responded to Cotton's questioning and said, "Does someone want to get Senator Cotton a map?"

X user @Chenoa4AR wrote: "Lord, Tom Cotton is a disgrace to Arkansas with his racist questions. Dude already said he's Singaporean, not Chinese. How many times does he have to clarify that?"

Over the past several months, many Republicans have taken aim at TikTok, and some have sought to pass legislation banning the app in the U.S.

In March, Republican Representative Michael McCaul said, "Anyone with TikTok downloaded on their device has given the CCP a backdoor to all their personal information. It's a spy balloon into their phone."

In a post on X in March, Republican Representative Kat Cammack criticized TikTok, saying, "The CCP's ties to TikTok are more than just a national security threat—they're a threat to every single American. In fact, the entire @HouseCommerce Committee was threatened with violence by a TikTok user just WEEKS ago."

"Every American should be frightened by this app," she added.