China's commerce ministry on Friday, April 7, said that Australia's ban on TikTok from federal government devices was discriminatory and had negative effects on Australian businesses and the public.
The move will not help safeguard Australia's national security but only undermine the international community's confidence in its business environment and harm the interests of Australian enterprises and its people, the ministry said in a statement.
Australia previously announced a ban on TikTok on government devices after the U.S. and other intelligence-sharing allies took similar steps against TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance.
The Chinese government has always encouraged enterprises to conduct international operations according to market principles and international economic and trade rules, and comply with the laws and regulations of the host country, said the ministry.
The commerce ministry urged the Australian side to treat all enterprises fairly and equitably, provide them with an open, transparent, and non-discriminatory business environment, and create a favorable economic and trade cooperation environment between China and Australia.
The European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU Council have also banned the use of TikTok on staff devices.
India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, in 2020 over national security concerns.
In early March, the U.S. gave government agencies 30 days to remove TikTok from federal devices and systems. The ban applies only to government devices, although some U.S. lawmakers are advocating an outright ban.
