It seems that the United States is not China’s only headache. India has banned several Chinese-made apps. Among these apps is the hit multiplayer game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG. Earlier, India had already banned 58 Chinese apps, including TikTok.
India vs. China
Gizmodo reports that India has banned 118 total apps. The Indian government said that these apps stole user data. Moreover, these apps also store the data on servers outside India. Overall, India says these 118 Chinese apps are a national security risk
India blocks 118 more China-linked apps, including PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds https://t.co/SE0RTAGTWf pic.twitter.com/bjddcW8Og0
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) September 3, 2020
With the ban, India includes PUBG MOBILE LITE and PUBG MOBILE Nordic Map: Livik. Other banned apps include Alipay, Tencent Weiyun, and VPN for TikTok.
Why Did They Also Ban PUBG?
While South Korean company Bluehole owns PUBG, it still got banned because Chinese company Tencent owns its mobile versions. Tencent also wholly owns League of Legends, while it partially owns Fortnite. Moreover, the company also owns stakes in Warner Music Group, Spotify, and Tesla.
Why Is India Banning Everything Chinese?
These bans came after an ongoing border dispute between the two countries. Last June, the two countries even clashed, which killed at least 20 Indian soldiers. The Chinese Foreign Ministry then called on India to build a space for trade and economic partnerships.
