Trump May Target Chinese Firms Like Alibaba

US President Donald Trump said overnight on Saturday he could exert pressure on more Chinese companies such as technology giant Alibaba after he moved to ban TikTok.

Asked at a news conference whether there were other particular China-owned companies he was considering a ban on, such as Alibaba, Trump replied: "Well, we're looking at other things, yes."

Trump has been piling pressure on Chinese-owned companies, such as by vowing to ban short-video app TikTok from the United States.

The United States ordered its Chinese owner ByteDance on Friday to divest the US operations of TikTok within 90 days, the latest effort to ramp up pressure over concerns about the safety of the personal data it handles.

The Trump administration has stepped up its efforts to purge what it deems "untrusted" Chinese apps from US digital networks. Beyond TikTok, Trump has also issued an order that would prohibit transactions with Tencent Holding's WeChat.

Asked on Friday if he was concerned that the sweeping ban on WeChat could prevent Apple from selling iPhones in China, Trump did not express worry.

"I do what's good in terms of the security of our country," he told reporters.

A group of major US companies, including Apple, raised concerns this week about the potential negative implications on US firms from the TikTok and WeChat orders.