Don't underestimate consequences of economic war, says Chinese media to India after app ban

The Chinese media has said that India should not underestimate the consequence of an economic war with the country after the Centre banned 59 Chinese apps. It said that the move has dealt a blow to the confidence of Chinese investors and that the Indian economy could remain subdued for a protracted time.

Chinese government mouthpiece Global Times called the ban "nonsensical" and said that India has made the "political crackdown" on Chinese companies more blatant. "If India's sovereignty can be damaged by a handful of apps, just how vulnerable is it?," said the news site. The Centre had stated that the apps made it to the ban list as "they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order".

The news site said that the ban would hurt commercial interests of some Chinese companies but that India is in no position to "cause harm to China's juggernaut economy".

Global Times said that while some people have been calling for a boycott of Chinese products, achieving it is quite difficult. "There are no available and affordable alternatives to Chinese-made products such as smartphones, chemicals, automotive components and many other items," it said.

It stated that China has been calling for calmness and earnest efforts in order to preserve bilateral ties between the two countries. The news site blamed the Modi government for failing to "rein in the rising nationalism" among Indians and encouraged such a boycott to escalate. It said that such an order will further worsen bilateral ties between both countries.

The news site said that while border brawls have happened earlier as well, "it would be uncommon for the two countries to engage in an economic war". Global Times said that even after the Doklam standoff in 2017, bilateral ties had recovered fast and "India's economic losses were limited".

It added that if the Indian government continues to "pamper" the nationalist sentiment then the country would face more losses than during Doklam. "We sincerely hope the Indian government will wake up to the reality of the situation and help prevent the current crisis from deteriorating to a firestorm," it stated.

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