China urges U.S. to end 'unreasonable suppression' of Chinese apps

China's commerce ministry on Wednesday urged the United States to stop its "unreasonable suppression" of Chinese applications after Washington barred transactions with eight of them, including Ant Group's Alipay mobile payment app.

The U.S. ban goes against fair competition and damages normal market order, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement, adding that the move would hurt consumers' interests and that it reserved the right to take necessary measures to support Chinese enterprises.