Apple pulls Meta’s WhatsApp, Threads from China App Store

Apple
on
Friday
said
it
pulled
several
messaging
apps
like


Meta‘s
WhatsApp
and
Threads
from
the
App
Store
in
China
after
the
nation’s
government
ordered
the
removal,
citing
security
concerns.

The
move
further
escalates
tensions
between
the
U.S.
and
China
over
technology
and
other
policies.
In
recent
days,
Congress has
been
looking
to

fast-track
legislation
to
push
TikTok’s
Chinese
parent
company,

ByteDance,
to
divest
the
social
media
app.
The
House
could
vote
on
a
new
bill
as
soon
as
Saturday,
and
U.S.
President

Joe
Biden
has
said
he
will
sign
it
into
law
if
it
reaches
his
desk.

“We
are
obligated
to
follow
the
laws
in
the
countries
where
we
operate,
even
when
we
disagree,”
Apple
said
in
a
statement. “The
Cyberspace
Administration
of
China
ordered
the
removal
of
these
apps
from
the
China
storefront
based
on
their
national
security
concerns.”

Other
messaging
platforms
like
Signal
and
Telegram
were
also
removed
from
China’s
App
Store.

The
strained
relationship
between
the
two
countries
has
also
pushed
Apple
to
try
and
diversify
its
supply
chain
outside
of
China.
The
company
has
been
expanding
its
manufacturing
operations
in
other
nations
like
India
and
Vietnam.

China
has
a
long
history
of
restricting
access
to
content
from
the
U.S.
online,
but
some
platforms
like
WhatsApp
and
Threads
have
historically
been
permitted
through
Apple’s
App
Store.
These
platforms
are
not
as
popular
with
Chinese
users
as
others
like
WeChat,
but
their
removal
reduces
the
number
of
ways
they
can
communicate
with
people
outside
of
the
country.

Meta
directed
CNBC
to
Apple
for
comment.
Signal
and
Telegram
did
not
immediately
respond
to
requests
for
comment.