The move is aimed at curbing the threat to Americans posed by Chinese software applications, which are widely accessed in the US
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese software applications, including Ant Group’s Alipay, the White House said, escalating tensions with Beijing before President-elect Joe Biden takes office this month.
The order, first reported by Reuters, tasks the US Commerce Department with defining which transactions will be banned under the directive and targets Tencent Holdings’ QQ Wallet and WeChat Pay as well.
The move is aimed at curbing the threat to Americans posed by Chinese software applications, which have large user bases and access to sensitive data, a senior official told Reuters.
The order signed by Mr Trump also names CamScanner, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate and WPS Office and says “the United States must take aggressive action against those who develop or control Chinese connected software applications to protect our national security”.
A US official told Reuters that even though the order gave the Commerce Department 45 days to act, the department planned to act before January 20 when Mr Trump leaves office, to identify prohibited transactions.
Another official said the order mirrored earlier Trump executive orders signed in August directing the Commerce Department to block transactions with WeChat and Chinese-owned TikTok. Those orders have been blocked by US courts.
Any new transactions prohibited by the Trump administration are likely to face similar court challenges.
The Commerce orders would have effectively banned the Chinese apps’ use in the United States and barred Apple’s and Alphabet’s app stores from offering them for download for new users.
The latest action has been under debate within the administration for an extended period. Many administration officials are eager to cement the hardline US position with China on a number of fronts before Mr Trump leaves office.
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