China on Wednesday accused India of using national security as an excuse to ban more of its mobile applications, and added that it firmly opposed the move.

The Centre had on Tuesday banned 43 mobile apps, most of them Chinese, citing a threat to national security and sovereignty. It also included four apps owned by China’s retail giant, the Alibaba Group AliSuppliers Mobile App, Alibaba Workbench, AliExpress and Alipay Cashier.

Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India Ji Rong said in a statement that China’s government had made it mandatory for companies in the country to “abide by international rules, operate in compliance with laws and regulations and conform to “public order and good morals”.

The spokesperson referred to India’s ban on the apps as discriminatory. “Hope India provides fair, impartial and non-discriminatory business environ [environment] for all market players and rectify discriminatory practices,” the spokesperson added.

In September, the Centre had banned 118 apps under section 69A of the Information Technology Act. This was preceded by the July 29 move, when the government banned 59 Chinese apps, including the hugely-popular video-sharing platform TikTok.

The bans came amid continuing border tensions between India and China. Both sides have held several rounds of talks by military, diplomatic and political officials, including negotiations between their foreign ministers and defence ministers in Moscow in September. But the standoff has persisted.