A day after India banned 43 more Chinese mobile apps, including Alibaba Group Holding’s e-commerce app AliExpress on national security ground, China on Wednesday said it is firmly opposed to India’s decision, claiming the move violated WTO rules.
The ban had come against the backdrop of border tensions with China in eastern Ladakh since May. The banned applications, which include a few dating apps, were a threat to the “sovereignty and integrity of India”, an official statement said in New Delhi.
Asked for his reaction to the latest ban on Chinese apps by India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, “Since June this year four times India has imposed restrictions on smart phone apps that have Chinese backgrounds under the pretext of national security... This behaviour violates market principles and World Trade Organisation rules, severely undermines the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. China firmly rejects it.”