China says India’s ban on apps is ‘discriminatory’, violates World Trade Organization rules
China’s commerce ministry spokesperson told reporters that Beijing hopes New Delhi would correct its action immediately.
China on Thursday said India’s move to ban 59 Chinese-origin mobile apps is a violation of World Trade Organization rules, Reuters reported.
At an online briefing, Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Gao Feng told reporters that Beijing hopes New Delhi would correct its “discriminatory actions” against Chinese companies immediately. “China has not adopted any restrictive or discriminatory measures against Indian products and services,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad called India’s decision to ban the mobile applications a “digital strike” on Beijing. The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had on Wednesday praised India for the decision, saying it will boost the country’s integrity and national security.
India banned the apps on Monday, citing threat to national security and sovereignty. The ban comes amid continuing tensions on the border between New Delhi and Beijing. The order covers a variety of applications from e-commerce to gaming, social media, browsers, instant messaging and file sharing to target China in the online space. It includes mostly popular Chinese apps like TikTok, WeChat, Cam Scanner.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official page on Chinese microblogging website Weibo went blank on Wednesday after his photograph and all the posts made over the past five years were removed. The prime minister has been an infrequent user of the Chinese social media platform. He had over 2.44 lakh followers and 115 posts before the account was taken down. He used the account to post about China-India relations following meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Modi also wished Xi on his birthday every year on June 15 via Weibo, except this year.
Calls to ban Chinese products have increased since the June 15 clashes, which claimed the lives of at least 20 Indian personnel in the worst violence on the border since 1975.
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