China accused the United States of “intimidation” and threatened to take “necessary” countermeasures after Washington banned downloads of the Chinese video-sharing app, TikTok, and effectively blocked the use of the messaging super-app, WeChat.
On the other hand, Beijing also launched on Saturday a mechanism that allows it to restrict foreign entities that it considers a threat to its sovereignty and security, in a development seen as a retaliation for US sanctions against other Chinese companies such as the giant of the Huawei telecommunications.
The latest Chinese measures come as tensions with the United States rise on a variety of issues, from trade and human rights to the battle for technological supremacy.
In a statement on Saturday, the Chinese Commerce Ministry condemned Washington’s decision on Friday to ban TikTok and WeChat from US app stores, saying: “China urges the US to stop bullying, to put an end to their illicit actions and to strictly maintain fair and transparent international rules and order. “
He then warned: “If the United States insists on going its own way, China will take the necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”
The US Department of Commerce announced the bans in response to a pair of executive orders signed in August by US President Donald Trump in which it said the two Chinese-owned apps posed a threat to the national security of the country.
However, China and the companies have denied collecting data from US users for spying.
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According to Friday’s order, the WeChat app, owned by Tencent, would lose functionality in the US as of Sunday, while TikTok users will be prohibited from installing updates, but could continue to access the service until November 12.
WeChat developer Tencent Holdings called the order “unfortunate” and said it will “continue to discuss with the government and other stakeholders on ways for the United States to achieve a long-term solution.”
The owners of TikTok, which has 100 million users in the United States, said they will challenge “the unfair executive order.”
‘Very, very popular’
Friday’s order follows weeks of deals on TikTok, with Trump pressuring ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US operations to a national company to satisfy Washington’s concerns about TikTok data collection and related issues.
California tech giant Oracle recently struck a deal with TikTok to that effect, though the details remain unclear.
Trump said Friday that he was open to a deal, noting that “we have some great options and maybe we can keep a lot of people happy,” suggesting that even Microsoft, which said its TikTok offer had been rejected, could remain so. involved, as well as Oracle and Walmart.
Trump noted that TikTok was “very, very popular,” saying that “we have to have total security from China” and added that “we can do a combination of both.”
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ByteDance has now asked a US judge to block the action against it, according to Bloomberg News.
Amid the escalating dispute, the Chinese Commerce Ministry on Saturday issued regulations for its “list of untrustworthy entities” targeting foreign companies that it says endangers their sovereignty, security or development interests.
Companies that end up on the list could be banned from importing or exporting from China, and banned from investing in the country. Other measures include the imposition of fines, entry restrictions on employees in China and the revocation of their work or residence permits.
The launch of the “list of untrusted entities” ups the ante on the escalation of the trade fight with the Trump administration, which has used its own “list of entities” to exclude Huawei from the US market on national security grounds.
The Chinese ad did not mention any specific foreign entities, but in May, the state tabloid Global Times reported that the measures would target US companies such as Apple Inc, Cisco Systems Inc, Qualcomm Inc, while suspending purchases of Boeing Co. jets.
Authorities will establish a working mechanism and office to help implement work related to the list, the ministry added.
Foreign companies could be removed from the list if they correct their behaviors and take steps to eliminate the consequences of their actions, he said.
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