Published 14:19 IST, January 28th 2021
Flagrant IP violator & Internet censorship kingpin China slams India for blocking its apps
India's move to continue with a ban imposed last year on 59 Chinese apps is in violation of the principles of WTO, a Chinese embassy spokesperson said.
Days after the Indian government sent notices to Chinese apps, including Tiktok, that the order to block them will be continued, China has responded saying that the move is in violation of the principles of the World Trade Organisation and norms of the market economy.
Beijing cries foul on ban of Chinese apps
India banned 59 Chinese apps last June. In September, 118 more Chinese apps were blocked. "These moves (are) in violation of WTO non-discriminatory principles and fair competition principles of market economy severely damage the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. The Chinese side firmly opposes them," Ji Rong, Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India said in a statement in response to a media query on the issue.
Ji said the Chinese government always asks Chinese companies to observe international rules and local laws and regulations while doing business overseas.
Meanwhile, Chinese media stooge Hu Xijin who is the Editor-in-Chief of the Communist Party's official mouthpiece Global Times shared a snip of a media report on the banning of apps and said, "India is like a bandit in the world that advocates civilized trade. These Chinese apps have been legally registered in India. Their market shares now are barbarically robbed by New Delhi. India only has a layman’s understanding of the international rules."
However, the comments by the Chinese stooge appear more than a little hypocritical as China produces the majority of the world's counterfeit goods and has played a big role intentionally or unintentionally to destroy the economy of other countries via various means, including currency manipulation, snooping, copyrights violations and more.
TikTok's parent ByteDance to cut jobs in India
The Ministry of Information Technology had blocked the apps under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act after learning that the apps are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India. India's action came in the midst of a tense border standoff between the two countries in eastern Ladakh.
Meanwhile, ByteDance, which owns Tiktok and Helo, has announced the closure of its India business. TikTok's global interim head Vanessa Pappas and vice president for global business solutions Blake Chandlee in a joint email to employees have communicated the decision of the company that it is reducing team size and the decision will impact all employees in India, according to PTI.
(With agency inputs)
Updated 14:19 IST, January 28th 2021