US Congress members letter to Trump praising India's decision in banning Chinese apps

New Delhi: Members of the US Congress have written a letter to US President Donald Trump praising India's decision to ban 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok and saying US shouldn't trust them either. The letter has been signed by 25 US Congress members.

In the letter, the US Congress members have said, "India took an extraordinary step of banning Chinese affiliated mobile apps including TikTok due to national security concerns. CCP's systemic campaign to collect and illicitly transmit user data to Chinese govt is not unique to Indian consumers."

Meanwhile, a US Senate committee is likely to vote next week on a bill from Republican Senator Josh Hawley that would ban federal employees from using social media app TikTok on government provided devices.

The White House indicated that a decision on Chinese mobile applications, including TikTok, could be taken within weeks.

Speaking on this, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said, "I do not think there is any self imposed deadline for action, but I think we are looking at weeks, not months."

Following the Galwan Valley clash in Ladakh, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a fight with Chinese troops, the Indian government decided to ban 59 Chinese apps.

The 59 Chinese apps banned by the government have now been taken down from Google Play Store and Apple App Store in India, blocking their access to mobile phone users in the country. TikTok app has gone offline and stopped working completely for users in India. The other Chinese apps removed from Play Store and App Store includes UC Browser, SHAREit, WeChat, CamScanner, and Mi Community.