U.S. President Donald Trump’s ban on transactions using popular Chinese messaging app WeChat will cut ties to families and friends in China, millions of users in the United States fear, as they become the latest casualties in the standoff between the two nations.
WeChat, owned by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd., is popular among Chinese students, expats and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China. Most popular messaging apps in the United States, including Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp and Telegram, have been blocked in China.
"I came to the U.S. for free access to information. I feel I’m targeted by Trump," said Tingru Nan, a Chinese graduate student at the University of Delaware. "I’m living in constant fear now thinking I might get disconnected with friends and families.”