I sure wish we lived in a world where people making decisions for us, such as Sen. Vance here, had to actually back up the the things they say.
I think in defense/strategy circles when planning they never, ever consider intent, only capability.
2. China is well known for running hacking campaigns against foreign adversaries (there are many examples of this).
3. Chinese companies by law are required to act under the direction of the CCP when requested.
4. It is well-established that TikTok harvests personal data way beyond what is required to target advertising or run a social media company.
If you read up on espionage history, and consider the lengths nation states go to gain intelligence (e.g sending nuclear submarines to the bottom of the ocean to tap cables), the idea that China would not make use of one of the largest troves of personal data in human history, from their primary geo-strategic competitor, is ridiculously naive.
The most logical conclusion imo is that these reasons are simply bullshit.
I sometimes wonder what the long-term impact is going to be of allowing advocates for foreign powers to fully participate in Western conversations, whilst not even Chinese citizens (let alone foreigners) can advocate against their own govt in China.