TOBY SHAPSHAK: WeChat ban will backfire
The Tencent-owned ‘everything app’ is simply indispensable — it is the gateway for foreign firms into China
13 August 2020 - 05:00
The surprise ban last week by US President Donald Trump of Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat is part of an increasingly ugly trade war with China, but the ramifications regarding the two apps differ vastly.
TikTok has been in the spotlight most recently because of fears that its Beijing-based owner, ByteDance, could be compelled by the Chinese government to provide access to data about its 100-million US users. The app is extremely popular with younger users, who film themselves singing and dancing...
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