Beijing said on Monday a ban by Donald Trump’s administration on TikTok is an act of “unreasonable suppression” and an “abuse of power,” as a U.S. court provided breathing room for the Chinese-owned short-video sharing app by temporarily blocking the presidential order.

Citing national security and privacy concerns, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order to ban new downloads of the social media app from Sunday. But the last-minute injunction forced U.S. authorities to suspend order.

While the development was welcomed by Chinese media, Beijing officials again accused Washington of an “abuse of national power” and “bullying behavior.”

The U.S. should “provide a fair, just, open, and non-discriminatory business environment for companies around the world investing and operating in the country,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday. The executive order imposed by President Donald Trump in August was proof that Washington has abused its power as the world’s biggest economy to “unreasonably suppress other countries' enterprises,” he said.

Hu Xijin, the chief editor of the hawkish Global Times tabloid newspaper, described the court ruling as “moral, just and in line with common sense.”

Describing the U.S. ban as a “crazy” move, Hu urged American courts to provide a “legal firewall” to guard against an “unpopular” ban made by the U.S. government.

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