Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Photo:fmprc.gov.cn

 
Spreading disinformation and using it to suppress Chinese firms has become a common practice of the US, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said on Wednesday, in response to remarks from the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who alleged that TikTok posed national security concerns.

Mao's response came after Reuters and other media outlets reported on Tuesday that FBI Director Chris Wray said the US operations of Chinese-owned TikTok raised national security concerns, alleging that "the Chinese government could harness the video-sharing application to influence users or control their devices."

Mao noted that China firmly opposes those comments, and urges the US to take a more responsible and practical approach and abide by fair, open and non-discriminatory international rules.

In 2020, former US President Donald Trump issued an executive order to ban TikTok operations in the country, citing "national security concerns." Later, the company took legal action against the order.

After Joe Biden took office, he revoked the Trump directive in 2021, asking the Treasury Department to examine "security concerns" associated with the app.

TikTok is just one of a number of Chinese companies to be targeted by the US government. On November 8, the White House announced a continuation of the so-called "national emergency" policy, which prohibits US investors from investing in Chinese companies that have "military ties".

The US executive order was intended to "deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the US constituted by the threat from securities investments that finance certain companies of China," the statement read.

Experts noted that the US has reneged on the basic spirit of free market, which is a sign of regression. They urged the country to stop repeating mistakes that will harm the legal rights and interests of Chinese businesses and those of global investors.