…

Q: A question on TikTok. There’s a lot of going on as far as a U.S. national security tech is concerned because of the — it’s part or owned by the Chinese Communist Party in China.

So, why are you taking so long to ban the — when everybody knows that this is a national security threat, because India had banned already over two years ago because of the national security threat in India?

So, over 170 million I were told users are there in the U.S., so that mean China have already this much information from these people by the Chinese Communist Party.     So, are anybody using in the department, DOD or Pentagon? And where do we stand now as far as national security threat is concerned?

GEN. RYDER: Yeah. I appreciate the question

So, a couple of things. So, first of all, it already is Department of Defense Policy that we will not use TikTok on any U.S. government devices. So, that already is a policy that’s in place.

I think what you’re asking is the broader question about banning of TikTok writ large as it relates to, you know, throughout the U.S. And again, that’s a question that’s beyond the scope of my small little place here at the DOD. So, thank you.

…

Q: Also, on China, actually, this is Secretary Blinken is on the trip to China right now and expected to give a warning to the Chinese side, not commercially supposedly building the Russian defense industries. From point of view, do you have any specific concerning areas of the coordination between Russia and China?

GEN. RYDER: I won’t get ahead of Secretary Blinken and anything that he may be putting out, as you’ve heard us say and as you heard the president recently say, we are concerned about some of China’s activities as it relates to supporting Russia’s defense industry. 

And again, essentially, by doing so, enabling them to conduct or to develop capabilities that are being employed against Ukraine, in their occupation of Ukraine.

###

Source: U.S. Department of Defense

Speaker: Major General Pat Ryder, Pentagon Press Secretary

Format: Press Briefing

Link to Original Source