Has china violated the Modi government's ban..?

Following the 2020 clash between indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley, the indian government banned about 267 Chinese apps. This action was taken citing national security fears and data privacy. This action led to most Chinese companies leaving india, and lakhs of indian people working in it lost their jobs. But looking at the current market after 4 years, many banned apps have silently re-entered the indian market. As of 2025, about 36 of the previously banned apps have been re-introduced on both the google Play Store and the apple App Store. Some of these apps have been launched in their original form, while others have been rebranded. Some apps have been launched with changes in their branding and ownership details. Some companies have launched their apps in collaboration with indian companies to avoid legal complications.
 This raises doubts about the strength of the central government's restrictions. List of major Chinese apps that have re-entered India: The once popular file-sharing app Xender has returned to the apple App Store as "Xender: File Share, Share Music". However, it is not on the google Play Store. Chinese streaming platforms like MangoTV and Youku have also returned to india without any change in their branding or identity. Alibaba-owned popular shopping app Taobao has returned without any changes. Dating app Tantan has also returned with a new name "TanTan - Asian Dating App". Shien, a fashion shopping app, has partnered with indian company reliance to facilitate its operations. The partnership has brought data storage to India. Similarly, PUBG mobile, one of the apps banned in 2020, has re-entered the indian market as Battlegrounds mobile india (BGMI) under South Korean company Krafton.

 BGMI was also banned again in 2022 after following India’s security guidelines and was re-launched in 2023. While many previously banned apps have returned, the most popular short video platform TikTok seems to have no chance of making a comeback in India. This clearly shows that there is a huge problem in imposing such bans firmly in the wallet PLATFORM' target='_blank' title='digital-Latest Updates, Photos, Videos are a click away, CLICK NOW'>digital world. Many apps are currently changing their ownership and coming up with new identities under companies in various countries, including Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, Seychelles, Japan, and Bangladesh, in order to enter the indian and US markets. Also, some apps are entering into licensing agreements with indian companies to circumvent indian government regulations. The success of the Shein app is expected to lead to many apps entering India.
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Sowmiya Sriram

13/02/2025 01:13 PM