RedNote influencer awaits as TikTok faces sale or ban by April 5

STORY: From his room successful Beijing, Yu Bo is moving a run to link China with America – 1 slapstick cooking video astatine a time.

:: Yu Bo

37-year-old Yu has spun up an alter-ego arsenic an ambassador for speedy Chinese cooking successful abbreviated English-language videos posted to RedNote, a Chinese societal media app and hunt engine.

His 136,000 followers, including thousands successful the United States, nonstop him regular questions astir Chinese nutrient and beingness successful China.

“It’s been truthful crazy! It’s truthful brainsick that it’s similar I’m speaking the astir non-standard English to my overseas friends, but they inactive similar me. At that time, I was a little... actually, I was a small frightened due to the fact that I thought, volition everyone deliberation I’m bad? Or volition everyone dainty maine similar a joker? But later, I recovered that they emotion me.”

At a clip erstwhile tensions betwixt Washington and Beijing are high, it mightiness look similar the likelihood are against him.

More than fractional a cardinal Americans downloaded RedNote earlier this year, days earlier a projected U.S. prohibition connected the fashionable Chinese societal media app TikTok.

Now, with an April 5th deadline acceptable by the Trump medication for TikTok to find a buyer, Yu’s broadside hustle could beryllium acceptable for much change.

Washington officials person said TikTok's ownership by ByteDance makes it beholden to the Chinese government.

RedNote is privately owned and valued astatine $17 billion.

Yaling Jiang, expert and laminitis of ApertureChina believes RedNote volition payment from TikTok's troubles.

“I deliberation the TikTok exile improvement has already ended sadly, but it conscionable similar however galore different viral moments person ended, which is fine. But what RedNote tin bash with this viral infinitesimal is that I deliberation they person been trying to usage it arsenic a substance for different imaginable IPO successful Hong Kong, due to the fact that done this phenomena now, planetary investors, planetary users cognize them, They cognize those potentials and cognize however antithetic it is from each the different Chinese apps, from Tik Tok, from Weibo, which is superb for the company.''

The uncertainty doesn't signifier Yu, who continues to cook, station and link much with his caller recovered American audience.