TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — India on Monday (June 29) took the unprecedented step of banning 59 Chinese apps as tensions between the two countries continue to rise after a bloody melee broke out on a disputed stretch of border two weeks ago.

On June 16, a melee broke out between Indian and Chinese troops on a disputed stretch of border in the Ladakh region, with the Indian side suffering 20 dead and the PLA counting at least 35 slain, including a commanding officer. Outraged, Indians took to the streets calling for a boycott of Chinese goods, and the Indian government followed suit on Monday, announcing that it would ban 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, WeChat, UC Browser, and Cam Scanner.

In a press release issued on Monday, India's Ministry of Information Technology wrote that the decision to ban the apps was made after it had discovered that they are engaged in activities "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order," reported the Hindustan Times. The release went on to say that the ministry received complaints that many Chinese apps have been "surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India."

Law, Electronics, and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday (June 30) took to Twitter to write that the move was made for the sake of the "safety, security, defence, sovereignty & integrity of India and to protect data & privacy of people of India." Indian intelligence agencies had been pushing for some time to restrict the Chinese mobile apps, as they are notorious for extracting data and storing it overseas, potentially enabling them to violate the privacy of Indian citizens.

Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) welcomed the move by describing it as a "huge unprecedented step" that would boost its "Boycott China" campaign. Indian-made social media app ShareChat also lauded the move and called on the government to continue to promote the domestic startup ecosystem.

The ban will be a major blow to Chinese app makers, with TikTok alone boasting 120 million users in India, its largest overseas market. Chinese smartphone manufacturers could also soon see a massive blow to their bottom line, as they commanded a whopping 73 percent of India's cellphone market just before the border confrontation, according to Candytech.

The notable apps on the list include video-sharing app TikTok as well as utility and content apps UC Browser, Xender, SHAREit, and Clean-master. Also on the list are popular social media apps WeChat, Weibo, and Tencent QQ.

The following is the full list of Chinese apps blocked in India:

1. TikTok


2. Shareit


3. Kwai


4. UC Browser


5. Baidu map


6. Shein


7. Clash of Kings


8. DU battery saver


9. Helo


10. Likee


11. YouCam makeup


12. Mi Community


13. CM Browsers


14. Virus Cleaner


15. APUS Browser


16. ROMWE


17. Club Factory


18. Newsdog


19. Beauty Plus


20. WeChat


21. UC News


22. QQ Mail


23. Weibo


24. Xender


25. QQ Music


26. QQ Newsfeed


27. Bigo Live


28. SelfieCity


29. Mail Master


30. Parallel Space


31. Mi Video – Xiaomi


32. WeSync


33. ES File Explorer


34. Viva Video – QU Video Inc


35. Meitu


36. Vigo Video


37. New Video Status


38. DU Recorder


39. Vault- Hide


40. Cache Cleaner DU App studio


41. DU Cleaner


42. DU Browser


43. Hago Play With New Friends


44. Cam Scanner


45. Clean Master – Cheetah Mobile


46. Wonder Camera


47. Photo Wonder


48. QQ Player


49. We Meet


50. Sweet Selfie


51. Baidu Translate


52. Vmate


53. QQ International


54. QQ Security Center


55. QQ Launcher


56. U Video


57. V fly Status Video


58. Mobile Legends


59. DU Privacy