Apple says it was ordered to remove WhatsApp from the Chinese App Store

Apple said it removed WhatsApp and Threads from its app offerings in China on Friday on orders from Beijing, amid tech tensions between the United States. United States and China.

Apple said it removed Meta-owned WhatsApp and Threads apps from its China app store on government orders on Friday, which could aggravate the technological war between the United States and China.

The House of Representatives was preparing to vote this weekend on a bill that would require Chinese internet company ByteDance to sell its popular video app TikTok or have it banned in the United States. States. US lawmakers said TikTok posed a security threat because of its ties to China.

Apple said China's internet regulator, the The Cyberspace Administration had ordered the removal of WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store due to national security concerns. Apple has said it complies.

"We are obligated to follow the laws of the countries in which we operate, even if we disagree ", an Apple spokesperson said.

A Meta spokesperson directed requests for comment to Apple. The Wall Street Journal previously reported Apple's removal of the apps.

China has long blocked U.S. apps and tech companies, including Facebook and Instagram, which are also owned in Meta. WhatsApp, one of the world's most popular messaging services, and Threads were not widely used in China, which has an elaborate system for blocking foreign apps and websites within its borders. known as the Great Firewall. In China, WhatsApp is overshadowed by WeChat, the Chinese messaging app.

Yet until Friday, Chinese users could download WhatsApp and use it with This is a developing story.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.