The Trump administration is looking at banning more Chinese apps, as TikTok sale talks stall
Reuters/Florence Lo
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Thursday the US is looking at blocking more Chinese apps which put the country's national security at risk, per a CNBC report.
Meadows' comments come as discussions around ByteDance's sale of TikTok in the US hit roadblocks thanks to China's intervention.
Meadows didn't specify which apps could be banned, but he made similar remarks in August.
The US is set to ban more Chinese-owned apps that it believes pose a national security risk, according to reported remarks by Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff.
Meadows was on board Air Force One when he made the remarks to reporters, but did not clarify which apps could be blocked.
Meadows' comments come amid a tussle over the fate of wildly popular video app TikTok in the US.
Trump has ordered the sale of TikTok's US data and business to an American bidder, or else face a ban from the country. Currently, TikTok's parent firm ByteDance is in discussions with at least two major bidders, Microsoft and Oracle. However, China has thrown a spanner in these discussions — and Trump's 90 day sale deadline — with new export laws that give it veto power over any deal.
Meadows made similar comments in August when he said the Trump administration was considering banning apps that may "collect information and have potential national security risk," Reuters reported.
The US is not alone in challenging Chinese technology companies. India banned 118 Chinese mobile apps this week due to national security concerns.
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