Following the India-China border tensions, several Chinese apps were banned in 2020.
Now, some of them are making a return to the Play Store in India considering the improvement in diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Return Of Chinese App & Tiktok
In one such update, the Apps including Xender, TanTan, and Shein are now available for download once again.
So far, TikTok was the most popular of these apps which were earlier banned in India and it remains conspicuously absent.
While, some of the banned Chinese apps are making a return considering the evolving political landscape between the two countries.
The question still remains the same as – Will TikTok make a comeback to India?
This all started when Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government abruptly banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese-owned apps on June 29, 2020 citing the data security concerns.
Then TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech giant ByteDance was accused by the Indian government of misusing data and acting as a tool for espionage.
This decision came into existence just two weeks after a deadly clash between the Chinese and Indian troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
While declaring this decision, the Ministry of Information Technology issued a statement noting, “…in view of the emergent nature of threats has decided to block 59 apps ( see Appendix) since in view of information available, they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”
It appears that India’s TikTok ban came as the country decided to sever ties with China following the Galwan valley clash.
The Indian and Chinese troops clashed in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, leading to the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers, on June 15 of that year.
The conflict along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was the deadliest in 45 years and resulted in a military standoff.
Which Chinese Apps Are Returning ?
It appears that some of these apps have returned but with some tweaks, while others made a comeback in cloned versions.
India Today’s Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team reviewed more than 200 of the banned mobile applications, almost after four years.
In their analysis, they found that original or clone versions of at least 36 of them were available either on Google’s Play Store or Apple’s App Store or on both platforms as of February 10.
Mobile applications such as File-sharing app Xender, streaming platforms MangoTV and Youku, shopping app Taobao, and dating service Tantan are the ones that appear to have returned already.
Except MangoTV, the remaining four apps have made minor changes in their names or ownership structure as listed on the official Android and Apple stores.
When it comes to MangoTV, it appeared in the government’s ban order announced on November 20, 2020.
