The popular short video app announced on Wednesday that it will lay off employees in India after it “has not given clear directions on how and when to resume our app.”
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement: “After supporting our more than 2,000 employees in India for more than half a year, we have no choice but to reduce the number of employees, which I deeply regret.”
TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, did not disclose the number of workers affected, nor did it immediately respond to a request for comment for more details.
Although TikTok said this week The “unswerving efforts to comply” with the authorities of that country seem to have had little effect.
Sources of information from the Electronics and IT Department CNN Business was told on Wednesday that the government decided to make a permanent ban this week because it is not satisfied with how Chinese companies deal with issues related to data collection and security.
A TikTok spokesperson said: “We continue to work hard to make our apps comply with local laws and regulations and do our best to resolve any issues they have.” “So it’s disappointing that in the next seven months, despite We have worked hard, but have yet to give clear guidance on how and when to restore our application.”
The spokesperson added that the company hopes that one day the app will be allowed to return.
Constant tension
Last August, CEO Daniel Zhang announced that the company had “decided to stop operating” UC Browser, web browsing applications and other initiatives in India.
He told analysts on the earnings call: “We don’t expect this to have a significant impact on the group’s overall financial performance.”
A UC Browser spokesperson declined to comment.
“Tencent complies with all applicable orders and regulations, and continues to abide by the applicable laws of the jurisdictions where we operate. We look forward to continuing to focus on our core markets and provide our users with valuable services.” statement. The company declined to provide more details.
Ji Rong, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in India, reiterated China’s opposition to the ban on Wednesday.
“Since last year, India has been using national security as an excuse to ban certain mobile applications with Chinese background. These measures [are] Violates the non-discrimination principle of the WTO. “
At the same time, the geopolitical tension between India and China continues to ease. On Monday, the Indian army revealed that there was a “small-scale” confrontation between Indian soldiers and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
The Indian Army said in a statement that the incident occurred near a disputed border in the Himalayas last Wednesday and “has been resolved by local commanders in accordance with established agreements.”
— Vedika Sud, Steven Jiang, Rishi Iyengar and Manveena Suri contributed to this report.
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