India’s app ban a setback to global ambitions of Chinese tech giants

The Indian government’s decision to ban 59 Chinese apps may not significantly impact their revenues, but it is a big setback for many internet giants with global ambitions. The ban includes apps from some of the largest Chinese technology companies, including Alibaba, Bytedance, Baidu, Tencent, Xiaomi, YY Inc and Lenovo, which have been building up user bases of millions in India. Even more worryingly for them, India’s move could set a global precedent, said experts tracking the digital economy.

Unlike US tech majors like Facebook and Google, which have been able to build big businesses in Europe and Asia, India and Southeast Asia are some of the markets that large Chinese companies have been betting on to show that they can succeed beyond their home turf.