India banned 43 more Chinese apps on Tuesday including some from e-commerce giant Alibaba, saying they threatened its “sovereignty and integrity” as tensions remain high between the nuclear-armed neighbours following a deadly border clash.
New Delhi previously pulled 59 Chinese apps — including the wildly popular video-sharing platform TikTok — from its huge domestic market, weeks after the high-altitude battle in the Ladakh region in June when 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
A further 118 Chinese mobile applications, including the hit shoot ’em up game PUBG, were banned in September.
The latest tranche of banned apps include Alibaba’s AliExpress, delivery service Lalamove as well as dating and live-streaming apps.
Alibaba’s investments in the booming online market in the nation of 1.3 billion people include digital payments platform Paytm and online grocer BigBasket.
Anti-China sentiment has soared in India since the clash and sparked calls for a boycott of goods from the neighbouring country.
India’s imports from China, which include toys, cosmetics, home appliances, auto components and steel, totalled US$74.9 billion last year, according to New Delhi.
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