A day after India banned 43 Chinese applications, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi has criticized India for the ban on the grounds of national security.

“We firmly oppose the Indian side’s repeated use of ‘national security’ as an excuse to prohibit some mobile apps with Chinese background. The Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese companies to abide by international rules, operate in compliance with laws and regulations and conform to public order and good morals,” an official release issued by the Chinese Embassy said.

Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Rong tweeted, “China and India are the opportunities of development to each other rather than threats. Both sides should bring bilateral economic and trade relations back to the right path for mutual benefit and win-win results on the basis of dialogue and negotiation.”

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) yesterday blocked 43 new mobiles apps, including Alibaba-owned e-commerce website AliExpress, WeworkChina, Camcard, snack, etc. The action was based on reports received from the Indian Cyber Crime Co-ordination Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Chinese government hoped that India will “provide a fair, impartial and non-discriminatory business environment for all market players from various countries including China, and rectify the discriminatory practices violating WTO rules.”

Earlier, India in September had proscribed 118 Chinese apps which included PlayerUnknown’s Battleground or PUBG mobile, Baidu, WeChat work, and Ludo World-Ludo Superstar.

In July too, the government had barred 47 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat, and UC Browsers..