Beijing, Sep 3 (TIWN) Hit hard by India's move to ban 118 apps, including PUBG, China on Thursday termed the action as 'discriminatory restrictions' on Chinese companies and alleged that it violated World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

India’s move to ban PUBG Mobile and 117 other Chinese apps on Wednesday came after fresh Chinese aggression in the Indian territory at Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh.

“This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace,” India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said in a statement, announcing the ban on the apps.

India has so far banned over 200 Chinese apps, including short video-sharing platform TikTok and UC Browser, owned by Alibaba.

The latest list of banned Chinese apps include some from Baidu, Alibaba and Alibaba’s financial arm Ant Group, besides PUBG.

Citing industry observers and entrepreneurs, the Global Times report said that India has taken a “self-defeating” move which will further drive away Chinese investors and hurt its virus-hit economy.