President Donald Trump signed an order banning U.S. transactions with eight digital Chinese payment platforms including Ant Group Co.\u2019s Alipay in 45 days, when he\u2019ll no longer be in office.<\/p>\n
The order is the outgoing administration\u2019s latest bid to use national security powers against China\u2019s technology companies, but it will be up to<\/span> President-elect Joe Biden to decide whether to enforce the policy.<\/p>\n The executive order, which directed the Commerce Department to draft rules outlining which payments will be outlawed, will impact Tencent Holdings Ltd.\u2019s QQ Wallet and WeChat pay, as well as CamScanner, SHAREit, VMate and WPS Office.<\/p>\n The order is likely to face legal challenges similar to those mounted against the president\u2019s prior efforts to force the sale of TikTok from China-based owner ByteDance Ltd. and ban WeChat\u2019s messaging app. But Biden could also pause or erase the policy upon taking office.<\/p>\n Apps like WeChat Pay and Alipay have their biggest customer base in greater China and the number of users in the U.S. is relatively small.<\/p>\n The order is the latest blow to Ant co-founder Jack Ma, who has not been seen in public since Chinese regulators halted Ant\u2019s $35 billion IPO and launched an antitrust probe into Alibaba.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s order, which cites concerns that the platforms threaten national security, could significantly disrupt international commerce systems working across international borders.<\/p>\n Senior administration officials said they believe the move could help stop the encroachment of Chinese data collection and prevent personal information like texts, calls, and photos from being gathered by an adversary.<\/p>\n But they didn\u2019t identify specific instances of data theft using the applications. Instead, they pointed to the size of the payment platforms, saying their scope made them likely targets for Chinese data collection efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Chinese government requires that all commercial companies, big and small, support the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s political objectives,\u201d National Security Advisor<\/span> Robert O\u2019Brien said in a statement.<\/p>\n Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross issued a statement saying he has directed his department to carry out the order.<\/p>\n \u201cI stand with President Trump\u2019s commitment to protecting the privacy and security of Americans from threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The 45-day timeline mirrored a similar period in the WeChat and TikTok executive orders, according to one of the officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity, and there was no consideration of accelerating the implementation before the end of the administration. The Trump administration hasn\u2019t briefed Biden\u2019s transition team about the order, the official said.<\/p>\n The executive order was first reported by Reuters.<\/p>\n