A day after the Indian government blocked 43 more mobile applications, China on Wednesday said that it "firmly opposes" the move to block more apps.
"China firmly opposes Indian side's repeated use of 'national security' as excuse to prohibit mobile Apps with Chinese background. Hope India provides fair, impartial and non-discriminatory business environment for all market players and rectify discriminatory practices," said an official statement issued by the Chinese embassy in New Delhi.
The spokesperson of the embassy Ji Rong said that the Chinese government had always required overseas Chinese companies to abide by international rules, operate in compliance with laws and regulations, and conform to "public order and good morals".
"China and India are the opportunities of development to each other rather than threats. Both sides should bring bilateral economic and trade relations back to the right path for mutual benefits and win-win results on the basis of dialogue and negotiation," Ji Rong further added.
Ji Rong also said that China hoped India "provides a fair, impartial and non-discriminatory business environment for all market players from various countries including China, and rectify the discriminatory practices violating WTO rules."
The embassy was responding to a media query related to the Indian government's decision to block the usage of 43 mobile applications with Chinese background including AliExpress, DingTalk, etc. Other popular apps that have been banned include WeWorkChina, CamCard and Snack.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Tuesday issued an order under section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act for blocking access to 43 mobile apps.
According to an official statement, "This action was taken based on the inputs regarding these apps for engaging in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued the order for blocking the access of these apps by users in India based on the comprehensive reports received from Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, Ministry of Home Affairs."
The Indian government had on September 2 banned 118 apps on national security concerns, including the immensely popular PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile, Baidu and couple of virtual private networks (VPNs) that allowed access to TikTok that was banned earlier.
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