NEW DELHI: A day after it came to notice that India has banned another set of Chinese apps, the Chinese Embassy in India sharply criticised the move and said that Indian government has the responsibility to protect the legitimate rights and interests of international investors in India, including Chinese businesses.
"The Indian government has the responsibility to protect the legitimate rights and interests of international investors in India, including Chinese businesses, in accordance with market principles. Practical cooperation between China and India is mutually beneficial. Deliberate interference in such cooperation will not serve the interests of the Indian side," the Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India Counselor Ji Rong said on Tuesday.
Rong added that China will also take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.
Barely a month after banning 59 Chinese applications, India has banned another set of 47 apps, most of which are clones of the apps banned in June. While the government did not immediately release the names of the 47 apps, sources said the present list include Tiktok Lite, Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite and BIGO LIVE Lite.
According to sources, India is closely monitoring another 250-plus Chinese apps over user privacy and national security violations. The popular Tencent-backed gaming app PUBG and apps linked to one of China's biggest firms Alibaba fall in this list. If PUBG is banned, it will be a big blow for Chinese tech firms as the gaming app is one of the most downloaded apps in India.
The government has been trying to reduce the country's dependence on China ever since the deadly face-off between the Indian and Chinese armies on the Line of Actual Control last month. Chinese companies have long been accused in India and around the globe of sharing user data with Chinese agencies. The accusations have always been denied by Chinese government.
"I want to reiterate that the Chinese government consistently asks Chinese enterprises to abide by international rules and local laws and regulations when conducting external cooperation," Chinese Embassy's Rong said.
Rong also reacted on reports that WeChat, China's equivalent of Whatsapp, was asked to stop providing services to its Indian users who can no longer send or receive messages recently.
"We have noted the relevant reports. On June 29, the Indian government banned 59 mobile apps with Chinese background including WeChat, which severely damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. The Chinese side has lodged solemn representation to the Indian side and asked the Indian side to correct its wrongdoings," Rong said.
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