Owner Of China's TikTok To Develop Own Smartphone Amid US-Huawei Row - Reports

Daniyal Sohail Published May 31, 2019 | 12:07 PM

China's ByteDance, the owner of the popular social network TikTok, plans to develop its own smartphone and software as a precaution following the United States' anti-Huawei campaign, the Financial Times reported on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th May, 2019) China's ByteDance, the owner of the popular social network TikTok, plans to develop its own smartphone and software as a precaution following the United States' anti-Huawei campaign, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

ByteDance is due to launch a phone with the company's own applications, including newsfeeds, games and video platforms, the newspaper said, citing two people familiar with the project.

According to the report, the decision comes as Chinese companies, alarmed by the US pressure on Huawei, strive to develop resilience and self-reliance.

On May 16, US President Donald Trump blacklisted Huawei and its 70 affiliates from trading with and exporting to the United States.

As a result, Google had to suspend business operations with Huawei, including the transfer of all hardware, software and technical services, except those publicly available via open source licensing. Several US mobile carriers halted launches of Huawei new products.

Huawei has been accused of collaborating with the Chinese government and spying on its users via the new generation of 5G networks. In 2018, several countries, including the United States, Australia, Japan and New Zealand, banned the Chinese telecom giant from the government contracts.