US TikTok Sanctions... Chinese Foreign Ministry Warns "Do Not Open Pandora's Box"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Yujin] As the United States pressured China by setting a deadline for the sale of the Chinese mobile video-sharing app 'TikTok,' the Chinese government responded by saying, "Do not open Pandora's box."

Wang Wenbin (汪文斌), spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 4th, "The U.S. pressure based on fabricated charges is a completely political trick," adding, "In fact, the U.S. has frequently mobilized national agencies to pressure companies from other countries."

He warned, "The U.S. should not open Pandora's box," and "Otherwise, it will face the consequences of its own actions."

He continued, "We urge the U.S. to listen to the rational voices of its own country and the international community, to avoid politicizing economic issues, and to create an open, fair, and non-discriminatory business environment for American investments by various market participants, which would benefit the global economy."

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that TikTok would be completely banned in the U.S. starting from the 1st of this month. However, facing backlash from the primary user base of TikTok, the young American generation, he reversed this decision and shifted direction by giving Microsoft (MS) a 45-day deadline to acquire the app.

The U.S. government has raised concerns about information leaks related to TikTok, which has 800 million users worldwide, and is also considering additional sanctions against other Chinese software companies such as WeChat.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview with Fox News on the same day, "I want Americans to realize that countless Chinese software companies operating in the U.S., whether TikTok or WeChat, directly hand over data to the Chinese Communist Party and their national security agencies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.