China threatens Washington in response to TikTok and WeChat ban

In response to the US Commerce Department’s announcement of its intention to ban commercial transactions with the Chinese-owned social media apps "WeChat" and "TikTok" starting from Sunday, China Saturday accused Washington of "bullying."

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that it may take unspecified measures to respond to the ban on downloading the TikTok application in the United States and the blocking of the Chinese application WeChat.

"China urges the United States to abandon bullying, desist from its wrongful actions, and seriously abide by fair and transparent international rules and regulations," the statement said.

The statement added: "If the United States insists on following its own path, China will take measures firmly necessary to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies," according to "AFP."

On Friday, the US Department of Commerce announced that Chinese TikTok and WeChat will be banned from downloading in the United States from Sunday due to risks related to "national security," in light of the escalating tension between the two countries.

However, Washington left the door open to "TikTok", the short video platform that has received overwhelming popularity among young people, before completely banning it from operating on its soil.

Under the US decision, WeChat will be blocked in the United States from Sunday, while  TikTok users will be prevented from installing updates, but they will be able to continue using it until November 12th.

It is possible that this time frame will allow the Chinese company ByteDance, which owns the application, to conclude a partnership agreement with a US company to protect data and calm Washington's security concerns.