The popular short-video app TikTok is firing back after U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he would be banning it from operating in the United States.

China has denied the allegations of spying and intellectual property theft as "malicious slander."

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. was "certainly looking at" banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, but offered no further details.

The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that Beijing strongly opposes the latest U.S. action and urged Washington to stop interfering in China's internal affairs, state television reported.

The app, which is not available in China, has sought to distance itself from its Chinese roots to appeal to a global audience and has emphasized its independence from China.

China on Wednesday demanded Washington stop ``oppressing Chinese companies'' after U.S. regulators declared telecom equipment suppliers Huawei and ZTE to be national security threats.

The mouthpiece of China's ruling Communist Party said U.S. moves to end some trading privileges for Hong Kong ``grossly interfere'' in China's internal affairs and are ``doomed to fail.''

China demand Monday that Washington withdraw export sanctions imposed on Chinese companies in the latest round of a worsening conflict over technology, security and human rights.

White House sources say Trump’s careful approach is part of a political strategy crafted to avoid upsetting the stock market or angering China.

Trump said during a White House ceremony that the deal is "righting the wrongs of the past.''