The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had issued fresh notices, informing that these apps stand permanently banned.
The Indian government’s decision to keep a ban on 59 Chinese apps was a violation of the World Trade Organization’s fair rules of business and would hurt Chinese firms, China said on Wednesday.
The Indian government had banned Chinese-origin apps last year when tension between the neighbours rose over their disputed border. However, India reiterated the ban on Tiktok, WeChat and 57 other Chinese apps, with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issuing fresh notices, informing that these apps stand permanently banned.
Ji Rong, the Chinese Embassy spokesperson, said: “We urge the Indian side to immediately correct its discriminatory measures and avoid causing further damage to bilateral cooperation.”
Earlier, the government had given the 59 apps, including ByteDance’s video-sharing app TikTok, Tencent’s WeChat and Alibaba’s UC Browser, a chance to explain their position on compliance with privacy and security requirements, but was not satisfied.
The Ministry’s order dated June 29 had said the apps were “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”. However, the government had issued fresh notices to the apps last week.
Though, according to reports, the government was not satisfied with the response to its notice and decided to go ahead with a permanent ban.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
