Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says that Canberra will not be following footsteps made by the United States in banning TikTok.
Albanese's comments come as the United States House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation that threatens to ban TikTok from the country. However, the bill still needs to win the support of the more cautious Senate.
Australia's Potential TikTok Ban
During an interview, the Australian prime minister said that they would take advice but noted that they currently have no plans to simulate the American government's decision. He added that while national security concerns should always be front and center, there should also be knowledge that TikTok provides a lot of people a way to communicate.
The situation comes as Australia previously banned TikTok from government devices in April last year and it became the last member of the secretive Five Eyes security alliance to do so. The alliance involves the U.S., Britain, Canada, and New Zealand.
The prime minister said that they do not use TikTok on government phones, calling it an appropriate measure that Australian lawmakers have put in place. Albanese added that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to visit his country next week, according to the South China Morning Post.
Albanese said that he believes Wang's visit is a good thing, citing significant progress" in removing trade impediments between the two nations. The Chinese foreign minister is expected to hold "strategic dialogue" talks with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Australia's capital on Mar. 20.
In a statement, Wong said that they were seeking to cooperate with China wherever they could, disagree where they must, and engage in Australia's national interest. He added that his country's view is that a stable relationship with China would enable both countries to pursue their respective national interests.
Since Albanese's center-left Labor Party won government in 2022, Australia's trade relations with China have steadily improved. They have adopted a less confrontational tone than the previous conservative government.
Disagreement Over Potential Legislation
On Thursday, opposition leader Peter Dutton called on the Australian prime minister to "show some leadership" over TikTok concerns. He said this comes at a time when they are being advised that young people who use the social media app are having their personal details collected along with their images and most intimate discussions, said the Daily Mail.
Shadow home affairs spokesman James Paterson on the other hand has urged the Australian government to implement similar reforms before the country becomes at risk. He also claims that the Chinese government is given "unregulated access" to Australian devices during a time of heightened strategic competition.
Paterson said that lawmakers need to take urgent action to address the threat that is posed by authoritarian regimes that he claims seek to disrupt democracy and public discourse. He argued that this was being done through targeted online disinformation campaigns.
Dutton added that Australia's intelligence agencies had enough evidence to support a crackdown on TikTok. In the U.S., President Joe Biden said that he would sign a TikTok ban if the bill manages to pass the Senate, according to Financial Review.
