ByteDance threatens to take legal action in US over Trump order

ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, said on Friday that it will take legal action if the US government does not treat the company fairly.

The company issued a statement after US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order barring transactions with ByteDance and also Tencent, the owner of WeChat, starting in 45 days.

In the statement, the company said it is "shocked" by Trump's order, adding that, in the past year, it kept seeking communications with the US side and offering constructive resolutions to relieve their concerns.

However, the US government has ignored facts and violated due process of law over the signing of an executive order to bar all transactions with the company. The executive order will jeopardize global businesses' trust in the US's commitment to the rule of law.

"We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly – if not by the Administration, then by the US courts," ByteDance said in a statement.