China has ordered Apple to block WhatsApp and Threads in the country amid a fresh crackdown on dissent by leader Xi Jinping.

Officials from China’s Cyberspace Administration told Apple to remove the messaging services from its domestic App Store based on “national security concerns,” a spokesman for the company said.

The apps were already largely inaccessible from within China, which operates a so-called Great Firewall to lock out thousands of websites and services offering global news and the opportunity to exercise free speech.

However, tech-savvy consumers have been able to bypass these blocks with software that hides their location. The new crackdown will add further friction to accessing the apps, developed by Facebook owner Meta, in the first place, and make it difficult to update them.

Apple was also ordered to block private messaging apps Signal, Telegram and Line as part of China’s demands.

The diktat comes as US politicians consider their own crackdown on TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-headquartered Bytedance.

US politicians are debating a law that would force Bytedance to sell the app within six months, or see it blocked from US smartphone app stores.

Apple has previously been forced to ban other apps in China, including a block on the New York Times.

Apple said: “We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree.

“The cyberspace administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns. These apps remain available to download on other storefronts where they appear.”

China has enforced wide-ranging on US apps and websites for years, blocking Google and Facebook since 2010.

Despite the censorship, China remains a crucial market for Apple accounting for roughly $20bn (£16.1bn) in sales during its last quarterly results. Apple also relies on factories in mainland China for large parts of its supply chain and for its iPhone assembly.

However, the company’s iPhones are increasingly being challenged by a resurgence of domestic rivals such as Huawei.