Beijing: A few days back India had banned 59 Chinese apps for engaging in activities ‘prejudicial’ to the sovereignty and integrity of the country. Following the mover Beijing Thursday issued a predictable reaction Thursday. It described New Delhi’s actions of banning Chinese apps as ‘discriminatory’. Beijing also called for the reversal of the ban.
India banned Monday 59 apps with Chinese links, including the hugely popular ‘TikTok’ and ‘UC Browser’. The ban comes in the backdrop of the current stand-off along the Line of Actual control in eastern Ladakh with Chinese troops.
Responding to reports that both countries are strengthening import regulations and suppressing each other’s export goods amid the tense border situation and its impact on China’s foreign trade enterprises exports to India, Chinese Commerce Ministry Spokesman Gao Feng said that China has not taken any restrictive measures against Indian products and services.
“First of all, I want to clarify that China has not taken any restrictive and discriminatory measures against Indian products and services,” he said, according to the transcript posted on the ministry’s website. “India’s relevant practices violate relevant World Trade Organisation rules,” Gao said. The spokesman also expressed hope that ‘India would immediately correct the discriminatory practices against China and Chinese enterprises’.
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Announcing its decision to ban 59 apps in view of information available India’s Information Technology Ministry said the move will ‘safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace’.
The IT ministry statement also said that it has received many complaints from various sources, including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for ‘stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India’.
Gao said that China is hoping to solve the various issues through discussion.”The success of China-India economic and trade cooperation is the result of the joint efforts of the governments and enterprises of the two sides and serves the fundamental interests of the two people,” he said.
“China attaches great importance to strengthening practical cooperation with India in all fields and hopes that the two sides will meet each other halfway, earnestly implement the economic and trade consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries,” he added.
Gao added that the two sides should promote the sound and stable development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation and make efforts for the common prosperity of the two countries and the region at large.