India bans 118 Chinese apps as tension rises

India government has banned about 118 Chinese mobile apps as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.

Those on the list include several of Tencent’s products including the hit video game PUBG Mobile and WeChat Work.

Previously the government had banned 59 of the most popular apps including TikTok over national security concerns.

India’s IT Ministry said it had “credible information” the latest batch were acting against India’s interests.

Other apps affected include:

two of search giant Baidu’s apps

CamCard’s business card scanner

Alibaba’s Alipay payment app and its Taobao e-commerce platform

Netease games including Marvel Super War

The ministry said it had received many complaints from “various sources” including several reports about “misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India”.

“The compilation of this data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures.”

The ban comes against the backdrop of tensions along a disputed Himalayan border.

Both India and China deployed more troops to the Ladakh region in June and clashes have left at least 20 Indian troops dead.

Satellite images appear to show that China has built new structures overlooking the Himalayan border region.

The US has also recently taken action against Chinese apps, threatening to ban TikTok and ordering US firms to stop doing business with Tencent’s WeChat platform. White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has said that the administration also has other Chinese apps within its sights.