Canada and the United States moved forward Monday with bans on TikTok on government devices.
The White House gave federal agencies 30 days to halt the use of the popular social media app, implementing a ban approved by Congress in December.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning hosted a regular press conference yesterday, and a reporter asked about China's comment on this ban.
Mao Ning said: "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. 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."
Reuters noted that the Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, had told all federal agencies to remove TikTok from their phones and systems and ban internet traffic from connecting to the app to keep US data secure.
TikTok said the decisions would not affect the more than 100 million Americans who use TikTok on private or corporate devices, and that the US's so-called "national security concerns" were triggered by misinformation, denying that the app was "spying on Americans".
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has urged Congress not to ban TikTok, as it could undermine the free speech of millions of Americans.
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