China India Photo:VCG

 
The Chinese embassy in India on Thursday urged India to rectify discriminatory practices violating rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) with regard to the Indian government's decision of blocking 118 Chinese mobile apps.

In response to media questions, Ji Rong, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India, said that China is seriously concerned and firmly opposes the Indian government's decision to prohibit mobile apps affiliated with China with the excuse of "national security."

"We urge the Indian government to rectify the discriminatory practices violating WTO rules, and provide an open, fair and impartial business environment for all market players from various countries including China," said the spokesperson.

"The Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese companies to abide by international rules and operate in compliance with laws and regulations," she said.

"The relevant practices by the Indian government not only harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors and service providers, but also harm the interests of Indian consumers and the investment environment," she said.

"Suppression, self-seclusion and restrictions cannot benefit one country's development. It's the right way to integrate into global cooperation by being open, fair and transparent," she stressed.

Noting that "China and India are the opportunities of development to each other rather than strategic threats," she said that the essence of economic and trade cooperation between China and India is for mutual benefit and results.

"We hope that India will work with China to maintain the hard-won cooperation and development situation and return to the right path of win-win cooperation," she added.

On Wednesday, the Indian government decided to block access to the 118 mobile apps after the country prohibited the use of 59 other Chinese-made apps in late June.