Apple has deleted WhatsApp and Threadsbelonging to Meta, the version of the App Store that works in China after receiving an order from the Cyberspace Administration of that country.

China’s tendency to shut down its internet is by no means new, as the Asian country has long since deployed a large firewall, which, in addition to alluding to its famous wall, is a mechanism by which it tries to limit and control as much as possible , the content its citizens can access, the apps that can be used, and it also tries to neutralize VPN services. It is not surprising when we see the repressive policies of the Communist Party, which has ruled there for decades.

However, ban WhatsApp and Threads from the App Store version that works in China could have a bigger reason than the censorship itself because The United States Senate will soon vote on a bill that, if passed, could lead to a ban on TikTok in a North American country. Some have interpreted the China Cyberspace Administration’s move as a response to a bill being processed by the US Senate, though The official argument is exactly the same one used by some in the United States to ban TikTok: national security.

With the possible aim of avoiding a scandal of a constitutional nature, the bill being processed in the United States Senate does not, at least in principle, close down TikTok, but will give the company that owns the social network ByteDance one year to sell it. If you do not comply with this order, the official application will be deleted from the stores that operate on US soil, including Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The bill not only applies to TikTok, but also includes aid to Ukraine and Israel due to the war conflicts these countries are waging (another thing is to evaluate what is happening). President Joe Biden, who has fundamentally changed little since the trade war the Trump administration unleashed years ago, has already expressed support for the bill that would pave the way for its passage.

In a nutshell, Banning WhatsApp and Threads in China is nothing more than another episode of trade conflict that this country maintains with the United States, with which it disputes that it is the first in the world. On the other hand, one might wonder why Apple has so few qualms about complying with Chinese orders and why it shows so much resistance when it comes to complying with European Union legislation, but one of the main reasons is not.

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