oppn parties Hitting China Where It Hurts

News Snippets

  • ED has issued a showcause notice to Xiaomi India, two of its senior officials and three foreign banks for FEMA violations to the tune of Rs 5551cr
  • India's South-West coast to be hit by very severe Cyclone Biparjoy which will intensify in the next 36 hours
  • PM Modi pays tributes to Birsa Munda on his death anniversary
  • CBI forms SIT to probe violence in Manipur
  • Coal mine collapses in Dhanbad, three dead and scores feared trapped
  • Death threats for Sharad Pawar & Sanjay Raut, probe ordered and security tightened
  • Akhilesh Yadav says law & order situation is out of control in UP
  • Diesel (8.22 million tonnes), petrol (3.35 million tonnes) consumption hits a new high in May
  • Congress' Kamal Nath Sandesh Yatra will begin in Madhya Pradesh on June 15
  • Congress rubbishes reports of Sachin Pilot starting a new outfit, says they are just rumours
  • Delhi Police take women wrestler who had complained against WFI chief B B S Singh to federation office
  • IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says government will regulate the AI space to keep digital citizens safe
  • Stocks turn negative on Friday: Sensex loses 223 points to 62625 and Nifty 71 points to 18563
  • WTC final: If India can keep the Aussie lead to below 400, they can still make a match of it
  • WTC final: Indian bowlers get their act right in the second innings but Aussies race to a lead of nearly 300 for the loss of 4 wickets
Fresh flare-up in Manipur as 3 persons were shot dead in a Kuki village inKangpopki district
oppn parties
Hitting China Where It Hurts

By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2020-09-05 12:36:08

While many observers might think that banning apps achieves nothing, the very fact that China's foreign ministry sought to criticize India's action at a press briefing shows that the bans in several phases have unsettled the Chinese. The Indian government has chosen to ban the apps for two very good reasons - first, they collect data about Indian users and anyone familiar with the way things work in China will know that this data has to be shared with the government there even by private companies and second, although this is a low-level economic action, it has the potential of turning other countries against Chinese apps, as is evident by the US action on TikTok. That, in the long run, will mean that these Chinese companies will lose huge business, and hence revenue, worldwide and it will hit them hard.

Since the Chinese are resorting to deceit and are not serious about negotiating while continuing their misadventure at the LAC, India has to strike at them in all possible ways. The popularity of Chinese apps in India means they have millions of users. Backed by this huge user base, these companies are generating good revenue from the country. If the ban hits their income and if other countries also ban the app, the authorities in China will have to think afresh. Already, there are reports that companies that always procured from China are looking for alternative sources of supply (the Indian garment industry has reported orders from international brands that never looked beyond China) due to the pandemic that originated from China.

India has to hit the Chinese where it hurts and banning the apps can set off a chain reaction worldwide which will definitely hurt them. Hence, while continuing the buildup at the LAC in response to the Chinese threat and while engaging the Chinese in talks at all levels, India must keep on applying economic pressure too. It must use the opportunity presented by the pandemic and the subsequent expansionist policies being followed by the Chinese to turn the world opinion against them and use that to become the preferred destination for companies seeking to shift out of China.