China has welcomed Pakistan’s decision to lift the ban on the widely popular video-sharing app TikTok.
“The government always asks overseas Chinese enterprises to strictly comply with international rules and local laws and regulations, and fully respect local customs and religious beliefs,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian during a regular press briefing on Tuesday.
“We are glad to see the relevant parties properly handling relevant issues through friendly consultation,” he said.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on Monday restored TikTok services across the country after a 10-day hiatus under certain conditions. The authority warned the company that the spread of “vulgarity and indecent content” as well as the “abuse of societal values” would result in a permanent ban.
The ban, which was placed on Oct 9 after the regulator received complaints against “immoral content”, was lifted after an assurance regarding effective “moderation of content” by the TikTok management in a virtual meeting, according to PTA.
TikTok had also issued a statement lauding the unblocking of the app in Pakistan.
“We appreciate the PTA’s commitment to ongoing productive dialogue and recognise their care for the digital experience of Pakistani users,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.
“At TikTok, we are committed to enforcing our community guidelines and complying with local laws in all markets in which we operate,” the statement added.
TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, has become hugely popular over a short period of time, by encouraging young users to post brief videos. However, the app has been mired in controversy with authorities in a number of countries raising privacy concerns and security fears.
