NEW DELHI: China on Tuesday reacted sharply to India’s decision to ban 59 Chinese apps and said it was “seriously concerned” about the Indian government’s decision. “China is strongly concerned, and we are verifying the situation. India has a responsibility to uphold the rights of Chinese businesses,” foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said.
Zhao’s comments were followed by a statement the Chinese embassy in New Delhi issued in the evening, which called the ban selective and discriminatory. Spokesperson Ji Rong said India’s move “selectively and discriminatorily aims at Chinese apps on far-fetched and ambiguous grounds.” “It runs against fair and transparent procedure requirements, abuses national security exceptions, and suspects of violating the WTO rules. It also goes against the general trend of international trade and e-commerce, and is not conducive to consumer interests and the market competition in India,” Ji said in the statement.
Meanwhile, Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, Global Times, warned India of a 30% dip in bilateral trade due to the LAC stand-off and Covid, and dismissed the app ban as nonsensical, in two separate articles. “While offering a lacklustre explanation for the nonsensical move, the Indian government has actually made its political crackdown on Chinese companies open and blatant,” an article in the publication said.
The article went on to argue that it wwould be difficult for India to turn its nationalistic rhetoric into action. “There are no available and affordable alternatives to Chinese-made products such as smartphones, chemicals, automotive components and many other items,” it claimed. Criticising the ban, Ji said the apps had been operating strictly in accordance with Indian norms. “The ban would affect not only the employment of local Indian workers who supported the apps, but also the interests of Indian users and the employment and livelihoods of many creators and entrepreneurs,” the statement read.
He hoped India would acknowledge the mutually beneficial nature of bilateral economic ties. “India must treat all investments and service providers equally, and create an open, fair and just business environment, while bearing in mind the fundamental interests of both sides and the overall interests of bilateral relations,” the statement read.
Hu Xijin, editor of Global Times, was sarcastic. “Well, even if Chinese people want to boycott Indian products, they can’t really find many Indian goods. Indian friends, you need to have some things that are more important than nationalism,” he tweeted. India on Monday announced the ban on 59 Chinese apps.