After Chinese apps, Indian govt plans to block China from strategic sectors

The Indian government after banning multiple Chinese apps back in 2020 and 2021 are now planning to block hostile nations like China and Pakistan from strategic sectors such as power, petroleum, coal and telecom. This means that the government is taking steps to stop domestic companies and corporate entities from doing business with Pakistan and China, especially on infrastructure projects.

On July 23, the Union government issued orders restricting purchases from companies in countries that share a land border with India for public projects. The Centre has also asked states to get clearance from the Union government before conducting any business with hostile neighbouring countries.

This move comes in after it was observed that many states were in conversation with contractors for infrastructure projects and after various inputs were received from agencies. In October 2020, the Union Home Ministry had raised concerns about potentially sensitive investments in critical sectors from China given the blurred relationship between state and privately-owned entities, Mint had reported.

These concerns were raised in the aftermath of the Chinese aggression in Ladakh in 2020 when 20 Indian soldiers and multiple Chinese soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were killed. After this the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps including the famous multiplayer battle-royal game ‘PUBG’ and short video sharing platform ‘TikTok’. The government has also taken measures to stop the influx of Chinese products and imposed anti-dumping duties on over a dozen sectors.   

You might also be interested in – Chinese company’s boss eats his brand’s soap to prove that it’s all-natural