Beijing Concerned About Ban of Chinese Mobile Apps in India - Commerce Ministry

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2022) Beijing expressed concern about the ban of more than 220 Chinese mobile applications in India, saying it affected the Chinese companies' interests, Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng said on Thursday.

"For a certain period of time, the relevant Indian departments have been taking several measures to put pressure on Chinese enterprises and related services in the country, which has seriously damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, with China expressing serious concern in this regard," the spokesman told a briefing.

He expressed hope that India would be able to take appropriate measures to maintain the positive dynamics of economic cooperation between the two countries, noting that bilateral trade increased by 43% in 2021 in per year terms, reaching $125.7 billion.

Since June 2020, India banned a total of 224 Chinese apps, including TikTok, WeChat, UC Browser, and others. The decision concerning the ban was made amid the flare-up in tensions between the two countries in the Ladakh border area, with both Beijing and New Delhi increasing their military presence at the site.