ISTANBUL

China said Friday that Beijing “has never and will never require” enterprises or individuals to collect or store data in “illegal ways,” responding to an EU probe into TikTok’s handling of user information.

Speaking at a news conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing attaches “great importance” to data privacy and security and safeguards it “in accordance with the law.”

Her comments came after Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, which enforces EU data privacy rules, announced a new investigation into TikTok over the alleged storage of European users’ data in China.

The commission said Thursday it would examine whether TikTok unlawfully transferred the personal data of EU users to servers in China, according to a statement on its website.

“China hopes that the European side will earnestly respect the principles of market economy and fair competition and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for enterprises from all countries,” Mao added.