New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: China has once again cried foul over India's decision to ban 59 Chinese apps over national security concerns. Reacting to the move, China's commerce ministry on Thursday said that India's decision was in violation of WTO rules and urged New Delhi to correct its "discriminatory actions" against Chinese companies "immediately".
"China has not adopted any restrictive, discriminatory measures against India. India's actions violate WTO rules," Gao Feng, spokesperson of the Chinese commerce ministry said in a digital briefing.
His remarks came after India on Monday announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps, including popular video-sharing platform TikTok, citing national security concerns.
In a statement, the government said that the apps were banned because they "engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of state and public order."
The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi had denied the security threat allegations and said that the apps were operating "strictly in accordance with Indian laws and regulations".
China's data-sharing law key issue behind the ban
Just a day after India's ban on Chinese apps, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated Chinese tech firms Huawei, ZTE and their subsidiaries "national security threat". The move will bar US telecom companies from using USD 8.3 billion Federal Universal Service Fund on equipment or services produced or provided by these Chinese firms.
At the centre of both the decisions by India and the US was China's data-sharing law. According to the data-sharing norms under Chinese law, companies of Chinese origin are required to share data with that country's intelligence agencies, irrespective of the country they are operating from. US FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, in a statement put out on Twitter after announcing the move to designate Huawei and ZTE as "security threats," had also cited this as the reason.