US President Donald Trump stepped up his campaign against Chinese companies, issuing an executive order banning transactions with eight apps including Alipay, WeChat Pay and Tencent’s mobile wallet.

The president claimed the apps can “access and capture vast swathes of information from users” which threatens to provide the government of China and the Chinese Communist Party with access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information.

In the order, President Trump asserts the apps could allow China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, and build dossiers of personal information. The document cites a need to act to “address the threat posed by these Chinese connected software applications”.

The order takes effect in 45 days, after President Trump leaves office. Other apps targeted include CamScanner, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate and WPS Office.

US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross stated: “I have directed my department to begin implementing the executive order directives, including identifying prohibited transactions related to certain Chinese connected software applications.”

The escalation comes a day after the New York Stock Exchange backtracked on a plan to delist the shares of three Chinese operators as part of a previous executive order.

President Trump has also targeted TikTok and WeChat’s operations in the US, though these moves faced legal challenges with federal judges issuing preliminary injunctions on both bans.