The TikTok crisis has prompted critical reflection on how the rule of law can empower Chinese social media platforms in their global expansion efforts. Currently, Chinese social media companies face significant challenges in their international ventures, primarily manifested through the impact of geopolitical contestation and institutional conflicts, as well as deficiencies in corporate compliance capabilities and awareness. Under these circumstances, the importance of legal framework construction has become increasingly prominent, with practical pathways for legal empowerment identifiable through two key dimensions: national strategy and corporate compliance. At the national strategic level, it is essential to recognize the importance of establishing a comprehensive extraterritorial legal safeguard framework while proactively engaging in international exchanges and cooperation, promoting the export of data governance rules, and integrating external countermeasures with internal remedial mechanisms. At the corporate level, companies need to develop a proactive compliance management framework that coordinates efforts across technical compliance and risk management, content compliance and cultural dissemination.