'Seriously concerned & firmly opposed': Chinese Embassy in India responds to apps ban

Responding to the government's decision to ban 59 mobile apps, the Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in India, Ji Rong stated that the neighbouring nation is 'seriously concerned' and 'firmly opposed' to the action taken. Rong has alleged that the ban is 'selective and discriminatory' and is also not conducive to consumer interests, adding that it 'violates' the WTO rules. Moreover, the Chinese embassy Counselor has urged the Indian government to change its 'discriminatory practices' and maintain the momentum of China-India economic and trade cooperation. 

Issuing a statement on Tuesday, Counselor Ji Rong said, "India’s measure, selectively and discriminatorily aims at certain Chinese apps on ambiguous and far-fetched grounds, 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."

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'Overall interests of bilateral relations'

In his statement, Rong has also claimed that the ban on the 59 apps will not only impact the employment of local Indian workers but also the interests of Indian users. Furthermore, he has called on the Indian side to acknowledge the 'mutually beneficial' nature of China-India economic and trade cooperation. "Urge the Indian side to maintain the momentum of China-India economic and trade cooperation, 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," Rong said in his statement. 

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India bans 59 Chinese mobile apps

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday banned 59 Chinese Apps including Tik-Tok. The Centre stated that it has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about the misuse of these apps for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India. Hence, in a move to protect the sovereignty of Indian Cyberspace and to ensure interests of crores of Indian mobile users, the government has stated that this was a major blow to China’s Digital Silk Route ambitions. This move comes amid the escalated tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

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