US wants to ban apps that accept digital yuan

According to Reuters, a group of Republican senators wants to ban US app stores, including Apple and Google, which hosts apps that allow payments in e-CNY. The bill announced on May 27 states that companies that own or control the app store “will not offer or support any application that, in their app stores in the United States, supports or e-CNY transaction authorization”. The new bill was sponsored by senators Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio and Mike Braun.

e-CNY used in shopping at a shopping mall in Shanghai, China Reuters

According to Mr. Cotton’s office, e-CNY could provide the Chinese government with “real-time visibility into all online transactions, raising privacy and security concerns for those who are not aware of their privacy practices.” Americans join this network”.

The Center for a New American Security, a Washington DC-based think-tank, in a January 2021 report said that China’s digital currency and electronic payment system “could be advantageous for the growth of the Chinese economy.” government surveillance and intervention in the economy and citizens’ lives China. The organization notes that “transactions will contain accurate data about users and their financial activities.”

The above move from the US side comes after WeChat, a messaging and payment application owned by the giant technology Tencent, with over 1.2 billion users, announced it will start supporting e-CNY early this year. Alipay, the popular payment app owned by Ant Group, also accepts e-CNY. Both apps are available in Apple and Google App Store. Currently Apple, Google, Tencent and Ant Group did not respond to requests for comment.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington (USA) called the bill “another example of the US deliberately bullying foreign companies by abusing state power on the basis of the inability to guarantee national security”. nation”.