Secrecy shrouds Chinese applications ban

The government has failed to come out with the list of the 47 newly banned apps that were announced on Monday — most of them variants of the 59 apps that were banned last month — throwing a cloud of opacity around the entire exercise.

The Chinese embassy has reacted strongly to the media reports on the banning of the apps. It has written to the Indian government to reconsider the ban amid reports that as many as 275 more may be binned over and above the 47 announced on Tuesday.

“India has the responsibility to protect the rights of international investors. Practical co-operation between India and China is mutually beneficial,” Ji Rong, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi said on Tuesday. He said Beijing will “take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese companies”.