Shoppers crowd at a market ahead Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Ahmedabad, India, on Nov. 12, 2020. (Str/Xinhua)

The Chinese embassy in India reiterated Chinese government's firm opposition to India's ban on Chinese apps under a new national security law which was promulgated by New Delhi on Wednesday. This follows the Indian government's decision to ban 43 apps linked with Chinese developers earlier in the week. 

China will like the Indian government to provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment to all market participants, including Chinese ones, the embassy said 

China always requires Chinese businesses operating overseas to comply with local laws and regulations, Yi Rong, spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in India said. 

There is no threat existing between India and China, and both countries have a great opportunity to benefit from trade and access to each other's markets, Yi stated, adding the Chinese government's position was for both nations to return to the negotiation table and bring their frayed bilateral relationship back onto normality. 

India banned 43 more smartphone apps on Tuesday including those linked to Chinese tech giant Alibaba, after New Delhi announced reforms to its foreign direct investment (FDI) policies.

The 43 apps, a majority of which are linked to Chinese developers include Alibaba's e-commerce app Aliexpress, AliSuppliers mobile app, Alibaba Workbench, Alipay Cashier and DingTalk, an enterprise communication and collaboration platform which has been popular to assist long-distance work during the COVID-19 pandemic. India's technology ministry justified the ban citing the "sovereignty and integrity of India."

A spokesperson for the e-commerce app Aliexpress told the Global Times on Wednesday that the Indian market represents "only a small fraction" of its international operations, and the ban will have "limited impact" on its business, which covers 220 countries and regions in the world. 

Global Times