New Delhi: A day after India banned 118 Chinese mobile app including PUBG, China has opposed India’s move to ban 118 Chinese mobile apps, saying that it violated the “legal interests of Chinese investors and service providers”.
“India’s ban on mobile apps violates the legal interests of Chinese investors and service providers. China seriously concerned, resolutely opposes it,” Reuters quoting China’s Commerce Ministry as saying.
The decision came amid border tensions with China in eastern Ladakh. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said in a release that the decision “is a targeted move” to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.
“This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace,” the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had said in a statement.
The PUBG game, which has more than 600 million downloads and 50 million active players globally, has millions of users, especially young, in India.
The release said the government is invoking it’s power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009 and “in view of the emergent nature of threats has decided to block 118mobile apps since in view of the information available they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.
Earlier in June this year, 59 apps, most of which were Chinese, had been banned by the Centre in view of the information available that they are engaged in activities which are “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity and defence” of the country.
Almost all the apps banned had some preferential Chinese interest and the majority had parent Chinese companies.
