200 Chinese apps have been pulled off from the Indian market, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued the order under section 69A of the Information Technology Act. Meaning it either threatens the sovereignty and security of the country or friendly relations with foreign states or public order.
The blocked apps include Alibaba Workbench, AliExpress, Alipay Cashier, CamCard and WeDate.
China said it had "serious concerns" about the move and India's "so-called pretext of upholding national security". The ban also includes several dating apps, according to the Indian Express.
The move comes months after the government first blocked access to 59 mobile apps in June 2020 and then extended the ban to 118 more apps in September 2020.
In a more detailed statement in response to the media, Ji Rong said the Chinese government had always required overseas Chinese companies to abide by global rules, operate in compliance with laws and regulations and conform to "public order and good morals".
The Centre had on Tuesday banned 43 mobile apps, majority Chinese, citing a threat to national security and sovereignty.
Tensions remain high between Beijing and New Delhi after a deadly June clash in a disputed area along their border high in the Himalayas that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an unspecified number of Chinese casualties.
The ban is a setback to Chinese giant Alibaba, which is the biggest investor in tech firm Paytm and also backs online grocer BigBasket.
Other popular apps, like the video-making app TikTok and mobile game PlayersUnknown Battleground (PUBG), have also made it into the list of apps now prohibited from functioning in the country.
For instance, Chinese short video app Snack Video attracted millions of Indian users since the TikTok ban.
On Wednesday morning, digital payments player Mobikwik took out a full front-page advertisement in The Hindustan Times, asking readers if they were still using a Chinese app to pay bills even after the series of bans by the Indian government.
