New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Calling them "appendages of Communist Party of China's surveillance state", United States Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo on Wednesday welcomed India's decision to ban 59 Chinese apps and said the move will boost the country's sovereignty, integrity and national security.
Briefing the reporters in Washington DC, Pompeo said, "We welcome India's ban on certain mobile apps that can serve as appendages of CCP's surveillance state. India's clean app approach will boost India's sovereignty, will also boost India's integrity and national security, as the Indian government itself has stated."
India banned 59 Chinese apps
India had Monday banned as many as 59 Chinese apps, including the popular short-video platform TikTok, over 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."
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Hours after India's app ban, 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.
"Both Huawei and ZTE have close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military apparatus. And both companies are broadly subject to Chinese law, which obligates them to cooperate with the country’s intelligence services," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said.
The decisions by both India and the United States came amid heightened tensions in the bilateral relations with China. While the US is fighting the increasing Chinese dominance on several fronts, including trade and communications, India has been facing the Chinese aggression on the border, where the latter has deployed thousands of troops to fulfil its evil agenda of expansionism.