The UK parliament on Wednesday closed its TikTok account after MPs expressed concern over the social media app’s ownership by Chinese parent firm ByteDance.

“Based on Member (of Parliament) feedback, we are closing the pilot UK Parliament TikTok account earlier than we had planned,” said a parliament spokesman.

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“The account was a pilot initiative while we tested the platform as a way of reaching younger audiences with relevant content about parliament,” he added. However, the account has now been locked.

The objections were led by a group of MPs sanctioned by Beijing for speaking out against alleged human rights abuses.

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Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, one of those sanctioned, welcomed the decision.

“We need to start talking to people about not using TikTok,” he said

Meanwhile, China, which has been claiming Taiwan as its territory and opposing any engagement by Taiwanese officials with foreign governments, announced multiple military exercises around the island. It also issued a series of harsh statements after the US  delegation touched down on Tuesday night in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei.

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“Such an act equals sealing off Taiwan by air and sea, such an act covers our country’s territory and territorial waters, and severely violates our country’s territorial sovereignty,” Capt. Jian-chang Yu said at a briefing by the National Defense Ministry.

According to Chinese state media, the military exercises, including live fire, are to start from Thursday. It is also reported that the upcoming “military operations” will be the largest aimed at Taiwan since 1995, when China fired missiles in a large-scale exercise to show its displeasure at a visit by then-Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui to the United States.