India’s Purge Of Chinese-Owned Apps Continues As AliExpress, Taobao Live Are Banned

Topline

The Indian government banned 43 more Chinese-owned smartphone apps, including the Alibaba-owned e-commerce app AliExpress on Tuesday, expanding its crackdown on Chinese internet firms which had previously seen 224 such apps getting purged amidst military and diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

Key Facts

Key Background

Prior to this, the Indian government this year blocked 224 Chinese-owned apps, including the likes of TikTok, WeChat, Baidu, Weibo and Tencent’s PUBG Mobile. While the IT ministry does not mention how the ban will be enforced, the previous purges were followed by the removal of the apps from both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store along with the apps themselves becoming inoperational on devices that had already installed them. Tensions between India and China have ratcheted up this year as the two nuclear-armed neighbors engage in a high-stakes face-off along the disputed Himalayan border region. In September, an Indian special forces soldier was killed in a border clash with Chinese troops. Another clash between the two armies had led to the death of  20 Indian soldiers in June.

Crucial Quote

“China can exert control over these apps and ensure that they act as an extension of the state, and thus pose a national security threat to India,” Indian internet activist and tech policy journalist Nikhil Pahwa told Forbes. “In democracies, governments cannot exert such control over their companies. India is not isolationist in its approach to the Internet, but it needs to protect its sovereignty.” 

Further Reading

India Bans 118 More Chinese-Owned Apps, Days After Border Clash Between Both Armies (Forbes)

India Bans TikTok, 58 Other Chinese Apps, Citing Security Concerns (Forbes)

Report: Trump Administration Plans To Blacklist 89 Chinese Firms For Alleged Military Ties (Forbes)