In light of ongoing diplomatic tensions with China, India blocked 118 Chinese apps including the massively popular battle royale game, PUBG.
India-China clash at Galwan Valley
A series of clashes broke out on the Galwan Valley near Leh last June following disagreements on Lieutenant-General level talks between India and China in an attempt to solve a border standoff in Eastern Ladhak, claiming 20 soldiers’ lives and 17 sustained critical injuries. It was the biggest military confrontation in over 50 years. Indian media claims China suffered 43 casualties, as reported by an ANI source.
India responds to Galwan Valley clash blocking Chinese-owned apps
Hot on the heels off the Galwan Valley dispute, the Indian government ordered the blocking of 59 apps including famous apps like ShareIT, UC Browser and most notably TikTok, which soared in popularity among millennials amassing a whopping 119 million active users and 277 million downloads in the country.
Photograph credit: Pixabay
It’s worth mentioning TikTok donated INR 30 crores(AED 15m) to the PM Cares Fun in the wake of Coronavirus.
Via Gifer
A month later, India blocked an additional 47 apps, including Helo Lite, Bigo Lite, CamScanner advanced among others.
PUBG, WeChat and 116 apps blocked by India
Tensions between India and China escalated again last week after the Chinese government accused India of its troops crossing more than 3,300 kilometres into the border. While India hasn’t issued a response yet, they announced blocking 118 more apps, which the Ministry of Electronics and IT claims are “engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order.”
PUBG has been on the radar for a while, with a staggering 175 million downloads solely in the country and a team from India even emerged victorious in the battle royale championship last June.
Check out Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cheeky answer to a parent when she raised complaints over her son’s addiction to online gaming.
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(Featured photograph credit: PUBG)
