Trump administration bans Alipay and WeChat Pay



[ad_1]

The order is also for Tencent’s QQ Wallet, Tencent’s QQ Messenger, CamScanner, SHAREit, VMate (published by UCWeb, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group) and Beijing Kingsoft Office Software’s WPS office. It follows previous attempts by the administration to ban TikTok and WeChat from app stores in the United States. If you remember correctly, both attempts were blocked by the court for free speech reasons. A senior administration official said Reuters, however, that the White House believed those particular restrictions would remain – apps like Alipay wouldn’t be able to argue a First Amendment case, they said.

As The NY Times Note, the scope of the restrictions would likely be quite limited compared to the impact of a TikTok or a WeChat ban. Most of the users of the apps are in China, especially the payment apps, which require Chinese bank accounts. That said, the order could still negatively impact many Chinese Americans who often travel between the two countries, as well as businesses that use the apps to serve the needs of Chinese customers. The order will take effect after 45 days, long after Trump leaves. President-elect Joe Biden could dismiss him after he takes office, but his side has yet to announce his decision.

[ad_2]

Source link