Beijing, China:

China on Monday urged the United States to listen to “rational voices” over the social media platform TikTok, as a law banning the wildly popular app on national security grounds came into effect.

“We hope that the US side will seriously listen to rational voices and provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for market entities from all countries operating in the United States,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

“TikTok has been operating in the United States for many years and is deeply loved by American users,” Mao said.

“It has played a positive role in promoting domestic employment and driving consumption in the US,” she added.

TikTok restored service in the United States Sunday after briefly going dark, crediting President-elect Donald Trump, who retakes power on Monday, for making the reversal possible.

The outgoing administration of President Joe Biden had earlier said that it would not enforce any ban.

TikTok had shut down in the United States late Saturday as a deadline loomed for its Chinese owners ByteDance to sell its US subsidiary to non-Chinese buyers.

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US President-elect Donald Trump recently met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

This meeting comes as TikTok faces a looming ban in the US due to concerns over its ownership by Chinese parent company ByteDance.

A law passed earlier this year stipulates that TikTok must be sold by ByteDance before January 19 to avoid a ban. TikTok has filed an emergency application with the US Supreme Court to delay the ban, citing the need for a review and allowing the incoming administration to assess the situation.

On Monday, TikTok asked the Supreme Court for a “modest delay” to “create breathing room” for a review of the ban by the court and the incoming administration to evaluate the decision.

It has also said that TikTok is one of the most significant speech platforms and the ban would cause “irreparable harm” to the company and users.

Interestingly, Trump has expressed opposition to the ban, despite initially supporting it during his first term. He believes the ban could inadvertently benefit Facebook, which he has accused of contributing to his 2020 election loss. Trump’s second term is set to begin on January 20, just a day after the deadline for TikTok’s sale or ban.

In a recent press conference, Trump stated that his administration would “take a look at TikTok.” He also acknowledged the platform’s impact, particularly among young voters, saying, “I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok, because I won youth by 34 points.”

“There are those that say that TikTok has something to do with that. TikTok had an impact.”

Trump boasts 14.5 million followers on TikTok despite joining the platform only in June.