In a sudden and ironic turn of events China has sought out to remind India of its stated policy of strategic independence and added the two countries should firmly resist hegemonic plans, amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing that have been compounded by the closure of a consulate each and cross-allegations of forcible entry into the diplomatic premises.
Amid ongoing Sino-India standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Chinese Embassy Spokesperson in India, Ji Rong, on Monday (July 27) flayed the United States for its Cold-War mentality and said that China and India should resolutely oppose any act of reversing the wheel of history.
China’s foreign ministry today also said that the US consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu has closed as of 10 am(0200 GMT). Earlier on Friday, China ordered the closure in response to Washington’s order for the Chinese consulate in Houston to be shut.
“US politicians always view China with Cold-War mentality instigating containment, ideological confrontation & anti-China clique. US kept turning away from intl treaties & organizations & selectively applied intl law. Intl community knows who is real trouble-maker & threat. China has all along been an upholder of intl order & practitioner of intl fairness & justice. Instead of seeking hegemony when growing stronger, #China is firmly committed to finding a new path of peaceful development & win-win cooperation with other countries.”
Ji Rong, Chinese spokesperson in India
Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has banned 47 apps, which were variants and cloned copies of the 59 apps banned earlier in June. These banned clones include Tiktok Lite, Helo Lite, SHAREit Lite, BIGO LIVE Lite, and VFY Lite. The order regarding the ban on these apps came on Friday, July 24. The 59 apps, most of which were Chinese, had been banned by the Centre in June in view of the information available that they are engaged in activities which are “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity and defence” of the country. Almost all the apps banned had some preferential Chinese interest and the majority have parent Chinese companies. The ban came amid border tensions with China in Eastern Ladakh.
India’s growing proximity to the US, particularly engaging with Washington’s policy in the Indo-Pacific that Beijing sees as an effort to contain its influence in the region, is perceived as one of the reasons for China’s aggression along the LAC but it in turn has had foreign policy wonks make a stronger case for greater alignment of New Delhi with Washington.
