Trump may move against more Chinese companies after TikTok, Huawei

By Aaron Mamiit August 16, 2020

President Donald Trump is apparently setting his sights on more Chinese companies, possibly including technology conglomerate Alibaba, after his administration’s actions against ByteDance’s TikTok and Huawei.

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In a news conference, Trump was asked whether he is considering bans against more Chinese companies, including Alibaba. “Well, we’re looking at other things, yes,” the president replied, Reuters reported.

The White House did not provide further explanations to the president’s comment, according to the Financial Times, but it comes as Trump’s relationship with China continues to sour over the blame for the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the alleged national security threats presented by the Chinese Communist Party.

Digital Trends has reached out to Alibaba for comments on the matter, including whether the company has received any communication from the U.S. government regarding possible actions. We will update this article as soon as we hear back.

Trump vs. Chinese companies

The Trump administration has previously gone after ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of video-sharing app TikTok, and smartphone manufacturer Huawei. Trump issued an executive order on Friday that gives ByteDance 90 days to sell the U.S. assets of TikTok, and also requires the destruction of all the user data acquired by the app and its predecessor Musical.ly. Meanwhile, the temporary license that allowed certain U.S. companies to do business with Huawei has expired, likely affecting the support that Google provides to Huawei’s Android-powered smartphones.

It remains to be seen if the current administration will indeed target other Chinese companies in the run-up to the national elections, as Trump seeks to remain in office against former vice president Joe Biden.

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Bytedance says it will own 80% of TikTok Global, contradicting Trump’s claims

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Shortly after President Donald Trump “gave his blessing” to TikTok’s U.S. sale, he claimed the deal completely addresses his administration’s national security concerns and “has nothing to do with China.” However, a new statement released by Bytedance, the Chinese startup that owns TikTok, appears to contradict Trump's claims (via CNBC).

Bytedance says it will retain a substantial 80% stake in TikTok Global, a new subsidiary of the video app for the U.S. market in which both Oracle and Walmart will also be minority holders.

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The TikTok ban: Everything you need to know

From elaborate dance moves to lip-synced skits, TikTok has taken the U.S. by storm, drawing in millions of users each month. But the hit video-sharing app ran afoul of the Trump administration, which accused the Chinese-owned social media company of being a national security risk.

Now President Trump has moved to ban the app from the U.S. entirely. Here's everything you need to know about the ongoing feud between the Trump White House and TikTok.
Why is TikTok getting banned?
The Trump administration began publicly discussing a ban on TikTok in July, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying that there were security concerns with the app -- in particular that data about users could be handed over to the Chinese government by parent company, ByteDance.