India has banned 47 more Chinese apps just weeks after blocking the highly popular video-sharing platform TikTok and 58 others over national security and privacy concerns, an Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting official and media reports said yesterday.
Tensions between the world’s two most-populous nations soared last month after a Himalayan border clash that left 20 Indian troops dead and an unknown number of Chinese casualties.
“We have banned 47 mobile apps from China in this ongoing exercise which highlights the government’s seriousness about data privacy and security,” said the official, who asked to remain anonymous.
“The order was issued on Friday [last week]. Most of these 47 apps are banned for the same reasons as the earlier 59, and many were lite versions or variants of the earlier banned applications,” the official added.
There has been no official statement or order released by the Indian government about the ban, but it has been widely reported across Indian media.
Anti-China sentiment has soared since the deadly clashes last month, which sparked street protests and calls for Chinese products to be banned in the nation of 1.3 billion people.
TENCENT NEXT?
Local media yesterday reported that 275 other Chinese apps could also be banned over similar concerns, including the hugely popular PUBG Mobile video game published by Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings Ltd (騰訊).
From toys, cosmetics and handbags to home appliances, pharmaceuticals, auto components and steel, China exports more than 3,000 products to India.
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