Trump issues executive orders to restrict TikTok and WeChat in the US
President Trump issued two executive order late on Thursday that aim to restrict the operations of Chinese social media apps WeChat and TikTok in the United States.
The move against TikTok was expected, but the restrictions against WeChat were not and could have far-reaching effects on how its parent company Tencent operates globally. Tencent has operations and deals across the States and in particular Silicon Valley.
As an example, Tencent currentlyreportedly owns a 17.5% stake in Snap, the American company behind Snapchat.
At the time of writing the scope of the ban is unclear, much of this down to the confused wording of the orders themselves.
MORE:@realDonaldTrumphas also signed a similar order banning transactions with WeChat.pic.twitter.com/Y4nVlCVBke
The orders will come into effect in 45 days (20 September) and look to bar any transactions with WeChat or TikTok “by any person or involving any property subject to the jurisdiction of the United States,” according toThe New York Times.
This makes it seem as though the ban is similar to that given against Huawei in May 2019 that stops Huawei doing business with American companies. But given Trump has spent the last few weeks trying to outright ban TikTok from the States citing data security, it’s still unclear what these bans will end up blocking.
It’s likely the orders will be contested, and a retaliation from China is likely in this blatant escalation of the ongoing trade war.
Author: Henry Burrell, Contributor
Previously Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, Henry covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.
