China vows countermeasures over Trump govt's move to ban TikTok, WeChat

Amid worsening relations between two countries, China on Saturday said it resolutely opposed the move by the US to ban TikTok and WeChat and vowed to take countermeasures.

"China urges the US to abandon the hegemonic behaviour, to immediately stop the mistaken measures to maintain fair and transparent international rules and order," the Commerce Ministry said in a statement, according to a report in South China Morning Post.

"If the US insists on going its own way, the Chinese side will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese companies."

US Commerce Department on Friday announced prohibitions on transactions relating to mobile applications (apps) WeChat and TikTok to safeguard the national security of the US.

The department said while the threats posed by WeChat and TikTok are not identical, they are similar.

"Each collects vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories. Each is an active participant in China's civil-military fusion and is subject to mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP. This combination results in the use of WeChat and TikTok creating unacceptable risks to our national security," the Department said.

On August 6, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning any US transactions with ByteDance, set to take effect in 45 days.

On August 14, he issued another executive order, requiring ByteDance to divest its interests in TikTok's operations in the US within 90 days.