PUBG among 118 Chinese apps banned in India

NEW DELHI: India has banned 118 more Chinese apps as the backlash intensified over an increasingly bitter border showdown between the two countries.

The government said the apps including the popular video game PUBG and other services provided by Chinese internet giant Tencent promoted activities “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order”.

India and China have been embroiled in a series of deadly clashes and showdowns on their disputed border in recent weeks. In June, over 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the Ladakh region. An Indian special forces member was killed in an incident over the weekend.

India had already banned 59 Chinese apps including the video-sharing platform TikTok, while another 47 were banned in July. The PUBG mobile app has millions of young users in India.

The company said it had been made aware of the government action. Other apps targeted by India include games, online payment services, dating sites, and even software to edit selfies.

The Indian IT ministry accused the apps of stealing user data and moving it abroad. India has increasingly used economic weapons and has frozen Chinese companies out of contracts including 5G mobile phone infrastructure and blocked Chinese goods at ports and customs posts.

India has warned that relations risk permanent damage unless China pulls its troops back to positions before May. Both sides have sent tens of thousands of troops to the region with India dispatching more over the weekend.

Indian and Chinese military officers held a third day of emergency talks at the border but no progress in easing tensions has been reported.