Banning TikTok and 58 Made in China applications, India threatens China’s rising technological superpower status

India has made an unprecedented decision in history, banning 59 of China’s largest applications for security reasons. Not only is the escalation of tension between the two most populous countries in the world, India’s move is a blow to China, which is increasingly trying to consolidate its status as a technological superpower.

China’s outstanding performance in the field of technology comes from many factors but the most important is the protection of the state. The ban on the world’s leading applications such as Google, Facebook, and Chinese businesses easily overcame rivals in this economy of more than 1 billion people.

However, India has just taken a similar step as China. Tensions at the border after the clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers have led New Delhi to make a bold decision with China. The reason that Indians give is about security. If India can successfully block Chinese applications, many other countries from Europe to Southeast Asia can take the same steps.

The biggest star in the Chinese tech sky is ByteDance Ltd. with the TikTok app. Contrary to other applications, TikTok is quite popular all over the world and India is the largest overseas market. Therefore, concerns about data on this platform are also raised by many people.

In fact, India’s unexpected move has dealt a blow to Chinese Internet companies as they began to expand their influence in the world’s fastest growing mobile market. TikTok has 200 million users in India while Xiaomi is the No. 1 phone brand in the country. Alibaba and Tencent are also promoting their activities in India before the ban.

However, India’s decision to ban the door could cause every achievement of Chinese companies to flow into the river. In the context of increasing US-China tensions and Washington constantly seeking geopolitical influence in Asia, India’s employment will certainly be welcomed by the US and American businesses will take advantage of opportunities full of market gaps.

The United States and many other countries have banned Huawei from its 5G development process. India’s actions may prompt countries around the world to consider using Chinese products and services to limit the collection of user data, which can potentially be used as economic levers. in future disputes. It is also a critical blow to emerging industries, such as artificial intelligence, of China.

“Technological nationalism will increasingly show up on all geopolitical aspects, from national security, economic competition to even social values. This means that public companies Chinese technology will be increasingly difficult to operate separately from state control. This makes them isolated, “said Alex Capri, a researcher at the Hinrich Foundation.

After years of booming in China, Chinese internet companies are working hard to expand their operations into foreign markets. However, Washington is suspicious of Chinese businesses collecting user data. This has been amplified by India through allegations of TikTok, Tencent’s WeChat, Alibaba’s UC Web and Baidu’s mapping and mapping platform, threatening its sovereignty and security.

India’s ban is also evidence that countries are using technology to assert themselves geopolitically. The milestones of these activities are marked by the administration of US President Donald Trump targeting Chinese technology giant Huawei. India’s work follows the deadliest clash in decades on the border with China, killing 20 Indian soldiers.

“Beijing should be worried that the bloody clash will push India towards the US. However, New Delhi’s economic sanctions do not worry Beijing. , Modi ‘s government will be forced to do something in response to the deaths of 20 of its troops, “said Zhang Baohui, Asia – Pacific expert at Lingnan University, China.

Currently, it is not clear how India will enforce the ban. However, with what New Delhi is showing, the determination to stop is real. Chinese goods have been ordered by authorities to withdraw from e-commerce companies, including Amazon and Walmart. India has also stopped customs clearance of Chinese goods at its ports.

In terms of impact on business results, ByteDance may be the most affected victim. In a statement on Twitter, the head of TikTok in India said that it complied with privacy and security regulations under Indian law and did not share information with any government, including Beijing. TikTok also pledged to work closely with Indian authorities to address concerns.

Meanwhile, the names that benefit from India’s ban are Facebook’s Whatsapp, Alphabet’s YouTube and other non-Chinese tech companies, mostly from the US.