India bans 54 Chinese apps

India has blocked access to 54 mobile apps, mainly Chinese but also including Singapore-based Sea Ltd's Free Fire game, over security concerns, government sources said on Tuesday, a day after Sea shares sank 18 per cent on a report of the ban.

India has banned a total of 321 apps since political tension first flared with China in 2020 following a border clash between the nations, leading the former to initially ban 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok.

Sea, backed by Chinese gaming giant Tencent which owns nearly 26 per cent, said on Tuesday it is a Singapore company and committed to protecting its users' privacy and security in India and globally.

"We comply with Indian laws and regulations, and we do not transfer to or store any data of our Indian users in China," it said in a statement to Reuters. Tencent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In premarket US trading on Tuesday, Sea's shares were up 4 per cent above $134. Shares of Sea had plunged 18.4 per cent in New York on Monday, wiping more than $16 billion from its market value following reports of the latest ban.

Asked about the ban at its annual general meeting on Monday, Sea told shareholders the firm was "working through it", according to one person who attended the meeting.

The other apps banned include Tencent Xriver, Barcode Scanner - QR Code Scan, Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade and Viva Video Editor.

India believes user data was being sent via the apps to servers in China, the government source, who sought anonymity in line with policy, told Reuters.

Such collection would allow the data to be mined, collated, analysed and profiled, potentially by "elements hostile to the sovereignty and integrity of India and for activities detrimental to national security," the source added.