China Says It Will Act If U.S. Persists on WeChat, TikTok Ban

(Bloomberg) -- China reiterated it strongly opposed moves by the U.S. to ban downloads and transactions related to WeChat and Tiktok, and said it would take “necessary measures” to protect the legal interests of Chinese firms.

The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday issued a ban on WeChat and TikTok from Apple Inc. and Google’s app stores, citing national security concerns. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the U.S. would bar WeChat, a tool for messaging and money-sharing, and its parent Tencent Holdings Ltd. from letting users send funds to friends, family or companies. It also blocked business relationships with certain third-party technology providers starting Sunday.

“The U.S. has, with no evidence, employed national powers to ‘hunt’ and suppress the two businesses on groundless bases,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Saturday. “This has severely interfered with normal business activities and harmed the confidence of global investors in the U.S. investment environment, and damaged a normal international trade order.”

The statement didn’t specify what actions China would take against the U.S.

Tiktok has said that it disagrees with the decision and “will continue to challenge the unjust executive order, which was enacted without due process.” WeChat users in the U.S. have revived their request in court to block the restrictions on the messaging app, while downloads surged on Friday.

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With assistance from Bloomberg