India, Jan. 6 -- In an attempt to stamp his wishes on his successor's administration, US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transactions with Alipay and WeChat Pay, alongside other Chinese apps.

The move was a surprise parting shot at China, from an administration many thought had lost its ability to surprise.

The US "must take aggressive action against those who develop or control Chinese connected software applications to protect our national security," said the order.

The executive order also names CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate and WPS Office, and would be administered by the commerce secretary.

It claims these apps collect data which "would permit China to track the locations of federa...