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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP says he has given his “blessing” to a proposed deal between Oracle and Walmart for the US operations of TikTok, the Chinese-owned app he has targeted for national security and data privacy concerns.
Trump said the proposed deal will lead to a new company that will likely be based in Texas and under the control of Oracle and US-based Walmart.
“I’ve given my blessing to the deal,” he said. “If they can, it’s great. If they don’t, that’s fine too. “
President Trump has been demanding that TikTok, a popular video app with young people, be sold to an American company or else its operations in that country are shut down.
It has also targeted WeChat, another Chinese-owned app. The dispute over the two apps is the latest flash point in the mounting tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Just a day earlier, the US Department of Commerce said it would ban TikTok from US app stores late on Sunday. Other restrictions that would prevent TikTok from accessing essential Internet services in the country would take effect on November 12.
The agreement that President Trump signed would allow TikTok’s operations in the United States to continue to operate.
The commerce is imposing restrictions similar to WeChat, although all those restrictions take effect on Sunday night at 11:59 p.m.
Earlier on Saturday, WeChat users asked a US judge to block movements targeting the app, saying they would restrict freedom of expression.
WeChat is an all-in-one application with instant messaging, social media, and other communication tools.
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The US government argued that it is not restricting freedom of expression because WeChat users are still “free to speak on alternative platforms that do not pose a threat to national security.”
The aggressive tactics are part of President Trump’s latest attempt to counter the influence of China, a rising economic superpower.
Since taking office in 2017, President Trump has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and stifled the business of Chinese companies such as Huawei, a maker of telecommunications equipment and phones.
Meanwhile, Chinese-backed hackers have been accused of data breaches of US federal databases and Equifax credit bureau, and the Chinese government strictly limits what US tech companies they can do in China.
China’s Ministry of Commerce condemned the US measures and urged it to stop what it called bullying behavior. He also said China could take “necessary measures” to protect Chinese companies.
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