NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday banned 118 more Chinese apps as the backlash intensified against Beijing over an increasingly bitter border showdown between the giant neighbours.
The government said the apps - including the popular video game PUBG and other services provided by Chinese internet giant Tencent - promoted activities "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order".
India and China, which fought a border war in 1962, have been embroiled in a series of deadly clashes and showdowns on their disputed Himalayan frontier in recent weeks.
In June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand combat in the Ladakh region. An Indian special forces member was killed in one of two incidents at the weekend.
China has also suffered casualties in the high-altitude battle at more than 4,200 metres (13,800 feet) but has not given figures. India had already banned 59 Chinese apps - including the video-sharing platform TikTok - after the June battle. Another 47 were added in July. The PUBG mobile app has millions of young users in India. The company said it had been made aware of the government action but had no comment.
PUBG was developed by a South Korean company, but the mobile version that has taken off around the world was developed by Tencent. Other apps targeted by India include games, online payment services, dating sites and even software to edit selfies.
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