It targets APS widely used in China.

Though not as popular in the United States, such as Wechat Pay and Alipay.

It's a move sure to ratchet up already high US China tensions, a senior official told Reuters.

It's meant to head off the threat posed by Chinese apse, which have large user bases and access to sensitive data.

The order claims data collection by Chinese APS would quote, permit China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors and build dossiers of personal information.

Ah U S official says the order gives the Commerce Department 45 days to define which transactions will be banned, but that the department plans to act before Trump leaves office on January 20th.

But any new transactions prohibited by the Trump administration are likely to face court challenges similar toe when it sought to block transactions with Wechat and Ticktock under an earlier order signed in August.

That order would have effectively banned the apse use in the United States and barred Google and Apple's APP stores from offering them.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.