Trump bars US transactions with eight Chinese apps

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transactions with eight Chinese software applications, including Ant Group's Alipay mobile payment app, the White House said, escalating tensions with Beijing two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

Reuters first reported the move, aiming to curb the threat to Americans posed by Chinese software applications, which have large user bases and access to sensitive data.

The order argues that the United States must take "aggressive action" against developers of Chinese software applications to protect national security.
It tasks the Commerce Department to define which transactions will be banned under the directive within 45 days and targets Tencent Holdings Ltd's QQ Wallet and WeChat Pay.

The order also names CamScanner, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, and VMate, published by Alibaba Group subsidiary UCWeb, and Beijing Kingsoft Office Software's WPS Office.

"By accessing personal electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, Chinese connected software applications can access and capture vast swaths of information from users, including sensitive personally identifiable information and private information," the executive order states.
Such data collection "would permit China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, and build dossiers of personal information," the document adds.