BEIJING: China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said Thursday that the U.S. move to revoke orders against Chinese apps was a “positive step in the right direction.”
The remarks came after U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday revoked a series of executive orders signed during the Donald Trump administration targeting TikTok, WeChat and other Chinese apps, replacing them with a new directive addressing apps linked to “foreign adversaries.”
“President Biden revoked and replaced three EOs (executive orders) that aimed to prohibit transactions with TikTok, WeChat, and eight other communications and financial technology software applications; two of these EOs are subject to litigation,” the White House said in a fact sheet.
The new order signed by Biden on Wednesday directed the U.S. Commerce Department to instead evaluate software applications connected with “foreign adversaries” under recent U.S. supply-chain security rules “and take action, as appropriate,” according to the White House.
It also directed the U.S. Commerce Department to develop further options to protect sensitive personal data and address the “potential threat” from certain connected software applications.
MOFCOM spokesperson Gao Feng echoed that China noticed that the United States requires a review of the security risks of foreign applications at the same time, and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is still reviewing TikTok, claiming that “the U.S. should treat Chinese companies fairly and justly and refrain from politicizing trade issues.”
The administration of former President Donald Trump had attempted to block new users from downloading the apps and ban other technical transactions that Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat both said would effectively block the apps’ use in the United States. The courts blocked those orders that never took effect. – Agencies
