After India announced a ban of 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok and WeChat, the Chinese government has reached out to verify the situation.
During a news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters that China is “strongly concerned” about the notice.
“We want to stress that the Chinese government always asks the Chinese businesses to abide by international and local laws and regulations,” Zhao said. He added that India also has a responsibility to uphold the rights of Chinese businesses.
“The practical cooperation between China and India is actually mutually beneficial and win-win,” he said.
The ban came after heightened tension between India and China. This includes Chinese aggression at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh that resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers.
In its statement, India said the apps were prejudicial to the sovereignty of India, security of state, and public order.
“This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users,” the Indian IT ministry statement said.
After India’s ban, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also announced they are designating Chinese telecom companies Huawei and ZTE as national security risks to America’s communications networks.
“Both companies have close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military apparatus, and both companies are broadly subject to Chinese law obligating them to cooperate with the country’s intelligence services. The Bureau also took into account the findings and actions of Congress, the Executive Branch, the intelligence community, our allies, and communications service providers in other countries,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.
TikTok India has already released a statement that they are is in the process of complying with the ban. They stressed that they are not sharing any data of Indian users with the Chinese government.
“TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and have not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese Government,” said Nikhil Gandhi, Head of TikTok India.
The company has been invited to meet with concerned government stakeholders for an opportunity to respond and submit clarifications.
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