Beijing Hopes US To Stop Discriminating Against Chinese Tech, Politicizing Economic Issues

Muhammad Irfan Published August 03, 2020 | 03:30 PM

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd August, 2020) Beijing hopes that the United States will stop abusing the concept of national security and politicizing economic issues, and create fair and non-discriminatory working conditions for Chinese IT companies, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday.

On Sunday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that President Donald Trump in the coming days is expected to announce new measures against Chinese IT companies that posed a threat to US national security. In particular, Pompeo mentioned the TikTok and WeChat apps, which, according to the Trump administration, directly transfer collected data to the Chinese Communist Party.

"The United States generalizes the concept of national security and threatens the relevant enterprises lacking any evidence and only based on the presumption of guilt, which goes against the principles of the market economy," Wang stated.

The diplomat urged Washington to abandon such policies and create fair conditions for foreign business on US territory.

"China strongly opposes this, and we call on individuals in the United States to seriously listen to the world community and create fair, open and non-discriminatory conditions for doing business in the United States for business representatives from all countries," the spokesperson said, expressing hope that the US would "stop politicizing economic issues and abuse the national security concept."

In early July,�Pompeo said the administration was considering a ban on access to TikTok over privacy concerns. The social media company claims user data is safe and not being shared with the Chinese authorities. Meanwhile, Beijing has called on Washington to stop using government mechanisms to pressure Chinese companies. Trump reiterated that his administration was considering plans to ban the social media application, at the same time adding that alternative options were also being considered.