China slams apps ban; Xi asks PLA to be battle-ready

NEW DELHI: Reacting to India's ban on 43 more Chinese Apps, Beijing on Wednesday said it firmly opposed New Delhi using national security as an excuse even as President Xi Jinping told the armed forces to strengthen training under real combat conditions and raise the capability of winning wars during a meeting of the Central Military Commission.
On the Indian action, China said the two countries should work together to bring economic relations back "to the right path".China also reiterated that the ban on Chinese mobile Apps violated WTO rules and asked India to rectify )its "discriminatory approach". It is significant that the Indian decision came at a time when Indian and Chinese militaries are in the process of discussing a de-escalation plan at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.
While Xi has previously called on armed forces to be alert and battle- ready, the People Daily reported his fresh remarks to the armed forces on Wednesday. His remark came while addressing the Central Military Commission. "He urged the military to improve their real combat capability through training and accelerate the building of new combat forces and the training system to further liberate and develop its combat capability," said a CGTN report.
"China expresses serious concerns over India's claim," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian.
"For four times since June, India has imposed restrictions on smart phone Apps with Chinese backgrounds under the pretext of national security. These moves, in glaring violation of market principles and WTO rules, severely harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. China firmly rejects them," he added.
The official claimed that the government always asked Chinese companies to observe international rules and local laws and regulations when doing business overseas and that the Indian government had the responsibility to follow market principles and protect the lawful rights and interests of international investors, including Chinese companies.