Trump orders ban on transactions with more Chinese apps

President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese apps, including Alipay and WeChat Pay. The order goes into effect in 45 days, when Joe Biden will be president, so his fate is unclear.

The orders follow two more signed by Trump in August, banning transactions with the popular TikTok video app as well as the main WeChat app. The fate of these apps in the US is still unclear, and with just 15 days until launch day, it will likely be up to Biden to manage them – or not. The same goes for Tuesday’s decree.

A representative from Biden’s office did not immediately return a message for comment on Tuesday.

Alipay is a widely used digital wallet that is part of the empire of e-commerce billionaire and Ant Group founder Jack Ma, China’s richest entrepreneur. WeChat Pay is a rival service operated by tech giant Tencent.

Trump’s order cites unspecified concerns about apps collecting Americans’ personal and financial information and handing it over to the Chinese Communist government.

The order is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to hamper China, a growing economic superpower. In recent years, it has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies, and stifled activities from Chinese companies like Huawei, a maker of telephones and telecommunications equipment.

China-backed hackers, meanwhile, have been accused of data breaches at US federal databases and the Equifax credit agency, and the Chinese government is strictly limiting what US tech companies can do in China. .

Political analysts expect Biden to attempt to resume cooperation with Beijing on issues such as climate change and the coronavirus. However, economists and political analysts expect little big change amid widespread frustration with Beijing’s trade and human rights record and accusations of espionage and theft of technology.