Spooked China urges India to roll back ban on 118 apps; cries 'violation of WTO rules'

Terming the ban on 118 Chinese apps by the Indian government as 'discriminatory,' the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, Ji Rong stated that the neighbouring country is 'concerned' and firmly opposes the prohibition imposed on the mobile apps. Rong urged the Indian government to rectify the ban claiming that it violates the WTO rules and urged to provide an 'open, fair and impartial' business environment for all market players. 

Rong maintained that the Chinese government has always required its overseas companies to abide by international rules and operate in compliance with laws and regulations. On the contrary, the Information Technology Ministry stated that it received numerous complaints regarding misuse of these Apps for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers located outside India, which is why the ban was imposed. 

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"The Chinese government has always required Chinese overseas companies to abide by international rules and operate in compliance with laws and regulations. The relevant practices by the Indian government not only harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors and service providers but also harm the interests of Indian consumers and the investment environment. Suppression, self-seclusion and restrictions cannot benefit one country's development. It is the right way to integrate into global cooperation by being open, fair and transparent," the Chinese spokesperson said on Thursday. 

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Centre bans 118 Chinese apps

In a massive development on Wednesday, the Centre banned 118 more Chinese Apps including PUBG amid the prolonged standoff with China at the Line of Actual Control. As per the Union government, they were engaged in activities that are prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and security of the state. 

It noted with deep concern the compilation of data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security. Mentioning that the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, MHA has sent an exhaustive recommendation to block these malicious Apps, the IT Ministry added that there has been a bipartisan concern by public representatives as well as a strong chorus in the public space to take strict action. The Apps have been banned in both mobile and non-mobile Internet-enabled devices.

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MEA issues response

Commenting upon the Centre's move to ban 118 Chinese mobile apps on Wednesday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava highlighted that foreign companies in India will have to abide by the rules and regulations laid out by the Union Government. Srivastava, on Thursday, stated that banned apps engaged in activities that are prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity, and security of India. Despite the ban, Srivastava maintained that India continues to welcome FDI, in the area of internet technology, with sole condition of operating within the government's regulatory framework.

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