China says U.S. revoking of apps ban a ‘positive step’

President Biden Revokes Trump’sAttempted Ban on TikTok and WeChat.President Joe Biden has revoked a series of executiveorders signed by Donald Trump during his time in office. .Trump and his administration made efforts to ban TikTok,WeChat and other Chinese apps in the United States. .Instead of an outright ban, President Biden issuedhis own executive order calling for “foreign adversaryconnected software applications” to be evaluated. .This includes applications with ties to China,which the order describes as posing“unacceptable national security risks.”.The Biden Administration is committedto promoting an open, interoperable, reliableand secure Internet; protecting human rightsonline and offline; and supporting a vibrant,global digital economy, White House, via statement.Certain countries, including the People’s Republicof China (PRC), do not share these values andseek to leverage digital technologies andAmericans’ data in ways that present unacceptablenational security risks while advancingauthoritarian controls and interests.  , White House, via statement.The Commerce Departmentwill assess these appsusing a “criteria-baseddecision framework.” .Their evaluations will be “evidence-based,” with“appropriate” actions to be taken and “recommendations” tobe given based on their subsequent findings. .This E.O. directs the Department of Commerce,in consultation with other U.S. departments andagencies, to make recommendations to protect against harm from the sale, transfer of, or access to sensitive personal data, including personally identifiable information and genetic information, White House, via statement

China’s Ministry of Commerce said Thursday that a U.S. move to revoke the Trump administration’s executive orders intended to ban apps including TikTok and WeChat was a “positive step” amid strained relations between the two countries.

“We hope that the U.S. will treat Chinese companies fairly and avoid politicizing economic and trade issues,” ministry spokesperson Gao Feng said at a regular news briefing Thursday.

Gao said the U.S. move to revoke previous government actions against apps such as TikTok and WeChat was a “positive step in the right direction.”

The White House on Wednesday revoked some blanket-style orders made under former President Donald Trump against Chinese apps including the messaging app WeChat, short video app TikTok and the Alipay payments app.

A new executive order from President Joe Biden said the U.S. would conduct an “evidence-based” analysis of transactions involving apps that are created, supplied or controlled by China.

Canadian pipeline company terminates Keystone XL project

The Canadian pipeline company that had long sought to build the Keystone XL pipeline announced that it had terminated the embattled project, which would have carried petroleum from Canadian tar sands to Nebraska.

The announcement Wednesday was the death knell for a project that had been on life support since President Joe Biden’s first day in office and had been stalled by legal battles for years before that, despite support from the Trump administration.

On Wednesday, the company wrote in a statement that it “will continue to coordinate with regulators, stakeholders and Indigenous groups to meet its environmental and regulatory commitments and ensure a safe termination of and exit from the project.”

Environmental activists cheered the move and used the moment to urge Biden to rescind the Trump-era permits granted to another pipeline, the Enbridge Line 3, which would carry Canadian oil across Minnesota.

Lawyers urge court to probe alleged crimes against Uyghurs

A group of lawyers presented evidence Thursday to prosecutors at the International Criminal Court that they say establishes jurisdiction for the global tribunal to investigate allegations Chinese authorities are involved in grave crimes targeting Uyghurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group.

International human rights lawyers have been trying to get an investigation started at the court into allegations of atrocities against Uyghurs by China, which is not a member of the court.

The lawyers say their findings are based on witness testimonies and investigations in countries including ICC member Tajikistan.