China rips government bans on TikTok in US

by Olafimihan Oshin - 02/28/23 9:43 AM ET

FILE – A visitor passes the TikTok exhibition stands at the Gamescom computer gaming fair in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

Officials in Beijing have called out their U.S. counterparts for imposing bans on the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok within their government due to security concerns.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said that the latest TikTok ban shows how the U.S. has been abusing its “state power” to suppress foreign companies. Ning added that the U.S. needs to respect “the principles of market economy and fair competition.”

The White House issued a 30-day notice for government agencies to delete the social media platform from their official devices, with the Office of Management and Budget calling the guidance a “critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data.”

“How unsure of itself can the world’s top superpower be to fear a young people’s favorite app like that? The US has been over-stretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress foreign companies,” Mao said during the press briefing. “We firmly oppose those wrong actions.”

“The US government should respect the principles of market economy and fair competition, stop suppressing the companies and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign companies in the US,” she added.

Mao’s remarks come as the House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to debate on Tuesday a proposed bill introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), that will allow President Biden to ban TikTok.

Multiple state governments and Congress in recent months have implemented TikTok bans on government devices, citing national security concerns due to its Chinese owner ByteDance.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) introduced legislation earlier this month that will prohibit the downloading of TikTok nationally.

U.S. officials have had a rocky relationship with TikTok over the past year, including former President Trump’s failed attempt to implement a ban on the social media platform in 2020.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in an interview with the Washington Post earlier this month that “tougher conversations” are needed on the future of the platform in the U.S., adding that he hopes that lawmakers will come around with their viewpoints on his platform.