The order also affects Tencent’s QQ Wallet, Tencent’s QQ Messenger, CamScanner, SHAREit, VMate (issued by subsidiary UC Alebaba Group) and the Beijing Kingsoft Office Software WPS office. It follows the administration’s previous attempts to ban TikTok and WeChat from app stores in the United States. If you recall, both attempts were blocked by the court on the grounds of freedom of speech. A senior administration official said Reutershowever, the White House believes that these specific restrictions will remain – applications such as Alipay will not be able to argue a case based on the first amendment, they said.
As The NY Times noted, the scope of the restrictions is likely to be quite limited compared to the impact of a TikTok or a WeChat ban. Most users of the apps are in China, especially the payment applications that require Chinese bank accounts. That said, the order could continue to have a negative impact on many Chinese Americans who regularly travel between the two countries, as well as businesses that use the programs to cater to Chinese customers. The order comes into effect after 45 days, long after Trump left office. Elected President Joe Biden may step down after taking office, but his camp has yet to announce its decision.