Biden Revokes EOs Targeting Chinese Apps
President Joe Biden revoked Trump-era executive orders targeting WeChat and TikTok as part of a new order to address supply chain risks involving software applications supplied by foreign governments, including China. The decision, announced this week, rescinds three EOs issued by former President Donald Trump that banned transactions with TikTok owner ByteDance, WeChat owner Tencent Holdings (see 2008070024) and other Chinese apps (see 2101060019). Biden issued a new directive in their place, which the White House said will feature a “criteria-based decision framework” and “rigorous, evidence-based analysis” to address risks in the information and communications technology and services supply chain. The new EO will allow U.S. agencies to recommend actions to “protect against harm from the sale, transfer of, or access to sensitive personal data” involving foreign apps.
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China's Commerce Ministry called the decision to revoke the three orders “a positive step in the right direction” but said it is still concerned about U.S. reviews of foreign apps on national security grounds. “We hope that the US will treat Chinese companies fairly ... and avoid politicizing economic and trade issues,” a ministry spokesperson told reporters June 10, according to an unofficial translation of a press conference transcript.