[yorwba]

The problem with that analogy is that Chinese companies are subject to the same bans as foreign companies. TikTok is not allowed to operate in China.

So, the special rule forbidding the FC Barcelona from leaving their side of the field also prevents the team of you and your co-workers from leaving your side.

There are laws in China that explicitly give Chinese companies an advantage (e.g. mining is completely off limits to foreign companies) but internet censorship is not one of those. Chinese companies have to deal with all the same bullshit, and foreign companies who do censor (like Apple and Microsoft) are still competing and doing quite well for themselves.