The popular short video app announced on Wednesday that it would cut workers in India, as “it has not given clear instructions on how and when our apps can be reinstated.”
A Tikotok spokesperson said in a statement, “It is very regrettable that after supporting our 2000+ employees in India for over half a year, we have no choice but to increase the size of our workforce.”
Beijing-based BiteDance-owned Tiktok did not say how many workers would be affected, and it did not immediately respond to a request for comment for more detail.
And although this week TikTok said that it is Such efforts have “little effect” for compliance with authorities in the country.
A Source in Ministry of Electronics and IT On Wednesday, CNN told Business that the government decided to make the ban permanent this week because it was dissatisfied with how Chinese companies had addressed concerns about data collection and security.
A spokesperson for Tikotok said, “We constantly try to make our apps comply with local laws and regulations, and do our best to address whatever concerns are there.” “It is therefore disappointing that in the coming seven months, despite our efforts we have not been given clear instructions as to when and how our apps can be reinstalled.”
The spokesperson said that the company hopes that someday the app will be allowed to return.
High-running stress
Last August, CEO Daniel Zhang announced that the company had “decided to halt operations” of UC Browser, web browsing apps and other initiatives in India.
“We do not expect this to have an impact on the overall financial performance of the group,” the analyst said, citing a “comprehensive review of the business”.
A UC Browser spokesperson declined to comment.
A spokesperson said, “Tencent complies with all applicable orders and regulations, and continues to comply with the laws applicable to the courts in which we operate. We focus on our core markets and value our users Services continue to provide, ”a spokesperson said. Statement to CNN Business. The company declined to provide further details.
Chinese Embassy spokesman Ji Rong on Wednesday reiterated China’s opposition to the ban.
“Since last year, the Indian side has repeatedly used national security as an excuse to ban some mobile applications with Chinese background. This is the move.” [are] In violation of the discriminatory principles of the WTO, ”she said.
Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions between India and China continue to escalate. On Monday, the Indian Army revealed that there was a “minor” confrontation between the Indian troops and the People’s Liberation Army of China.
The incident took place last Wednesday near a disputed border in the Himalayas, and was “resolved by local commanders”, the Indian Army said in a statement.
– Vedika Sood, Steven Jiang, Rishi Iyengar and Manveena Suri contributed to this report.
.