Apple said it pulled the Meta-owned apps WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China on Friday on government orders, potentially escalating the war over technology between the United States and China.

苹果表示，遵照政府的命令，该公司周五从中国的应用商店下架了应用程序WhatsApp和Threads，这可能会加剧中美之间的技术战争。这两个应用程序母公司为Meta。

The House of Representatives was preparing to vote on a bill as soon as this weekend that would force the Chinese internet company ByteDance to sell its popular video app TikTok or have it be banned in the United States. U.S. lawmakers have said TikTok poses a security threat because of its ties to China.

众议院正准备最早于本周末就一项法案进行表决，该法案将迫使中国互联网公司字节跳动出售其广受欢迎的视频应用程序TikTok，否则将在美国封禁该应用。美国议员表示，由于与中国存在关联，TikTok构成了安全威胁。

Apple said that China’s internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration, ordered the removal of WhatsApp and Threads from its app store because of national security concerns. Apple said that it complied.

苹果表示，中国网信办出于国家安全考虑下令将WhatsApp和Threads从其应用商店下架。苹果表示已经遵照执行。

“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” an Apple spokesman said.

苹果发言人表示，“即使我们不同意，我们也有义务遵守业务所在国家的法律。”

A Meta spokesman directed requests for comment to Apple.

接到置评请求后，Meta发言人表示相关问题应由苹果公司回答。

China has long blocked American apps and technology companies, including Facebook and Instagram, which are also owned by Meta. WhatsApp, one of the world’s most popular messaging services, and Threads were not used widely in China, which has an elaborate system to block foreign apps and websites inside its borders, known as the Great Firewall. In China, WhatsApp is dwarfed by WeChat, the Chinese-owned messaging app.

中国长期以来一直封锁美国应用程序和科技公司，包括同样属于Meta旗下的Facebook和Instagram。WhatsApp是世界上最受欢迎的消息服务之一，而Threads在中国并未得到广泛使用，中国有一个复杂的系统在境内封锁外国应用程序和网站，即所谓的防火长城。 在中国，WhatsApp的使用率远不及微信。

Still, until Friday, Chinese users were able to download WhatsApp and use it with the assistance of a virtual private network, or VPN, which are used to set up secure web connections and view prohibited content inside China.

尽管如此，中国用户在周五时仍可下载WhatsApp并在VPN的帮助下使用它，VPN被用于建立安全的网络连接，并可以查看在中国境内被禁止的内容。

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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