TikTok, WeChat Bans Break WTO Rules: China

China could launch an official legal complaint about the TikTok, WeChat bans to the Geneva-based World Trade Organization.

By Reuters | Updated: 6 October 2020 12:25 IST

TikTok, WeChat Bans Break WTO Rules: China

Trump administration has ordered download blocks on the two mobile apps citing national security concerns

Highlights

US judges have questioned the government's case
US government defended blocking TikTok and WeChat
US government had said data is being accessed by the Chinese government

China said at a World Trade Organization meeting that restrictions by the United States on Chinese mobile applications TikTok and WeChat are in violation of the body's rules, a trade official said.

The Trump administration has ordered download blocks on the two mobile apps and ordered ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, to sell its operations to a US company, citing national security concerns. However, US judges have questioned the government's case.

A representative for China said at the closed-door meeting on Friday that the measures "are clearly inconsistent with WTO rules, restrict cross-border trading services and violate the basic principles and objectives of the multilateral trading system," a trade official familiar with the matter, who did not wish to be identified, said.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

The official said the delegate described the US failure to provide concrete evidence of the reasons for its measures a "clear abuse" of rules.

In the same meeting, the United States defended its actions, saying they are intended to mitigate national security risks, the trade official said. The government has previously said data from American users is being accessed by the Chinese government.

The office of the US Trade Representative had no immediate comment. An official at the Chinese mission to the WTO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

TikTok Ban: Trump Likely Exceeded Law With Attempted Move, Judge Says

The Chinese statement will not have any consequences on its own although China could launch an official legal complaint about it to the Geneva body.

© Thomson Reuters 2020

US DoJ Asks Judge to Allow WeChat Ban on US App Stores

OnePlus 8T leaked specs look great but where is the cheaper Nord? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.