China responds to India's ban on PUBG & 117 other apps; says it's 'seriously concerned'

As India made a strategic move on Wednesday by imposing a ban on additional 118 Chinese apps amid the new flare-up with the communist neighbour, aggrieved China has reacted to the ban saying that the move violates legal interests of Chinese investors and service providers. The Chinese commerce ministry said China is 'seriously concerned' and resolutely opposes the app ban.

The Centre on Wednesday banned 118 Chinese apps in view of the fresh border standoff with China in Ladakh between the Armies of two South Asian powers. The latest app ban included the much-used gaming app PUBG among others. Earlier on June 29, the government had banned 59 Chinese apps, including popular apps such as TikTok, UC Browser, WeChat and Bigo Live. The Centre maintained that the Chinese apps were prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and security of the country. The earlier ban came in the light of the standoff with Chinese troops in the Galwan valley in Eastern Ladakh. The government then banned 47 more Chinese apps that were the clones and variants of the ones banned earlier, followed by the latest ban of 118 apps.

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Provocation by China

China once again engaged in provocative action on August 31 even as the ground commanders of the two nations were trying to deescalate the situation. However, the Indian Army yet again foiled the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo. The Indian Army stated that it pre-empted the movement of Chinese troops on the southern bank of Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh and thwarted the attempts by China to unilaterally change the facts on the ground. Noting that the Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity through dialogue, spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand emphasised that it is equally determined to protect its territorial integrity.

Immediately a day after the fresh flare-up, India and China on Tuesday held  Brigadier level talks at Chushul to diffuse tensions, followed by another Brigade Commander level talks on Wednesday.

This was the second such attempt by China after the Galwan valley standoff where 20 Indian Army soldiers including a commanding officer were martyred after a violent faceoff that took place on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per the Editor-in-Chief of Global Times, the Chinese side also suffered casualties during the physical clash. Reports and intercepts stated the Chinese army suffered over 40 casualties, however, the Chinese regime has refused to disclose its casualties number. 

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