Centre rules out re-entry of TikTok; Ashwini Vaishnaw says "There is absolutely no proposal"
The Centre has ruled out any plans to lift the TikTok ban in India, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed. While Chinese investments may return, they will follow clear policies, and India remains open to technology partnerships in electronics and semiconductors.
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The government has confirmed that TikTok will not return to India, despite recent rumors and brief access on some networks.
Union Minister for IT, Information and Broadcasting, and Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw dismissing talk of a comeback for the Chinese short-video app, once India’s most downloaded platform with over 200 million users, told Moneycontrol, “There is absolutely no proposal which has come from any quarters.”
TikTok, along with 58 other Chinese apps, was banned in June 2020 over national security concerns, with the ban made permanent in January 2021.
Beyond TikTok, Vaishnaw also addressed the larger question of Chinese capital in India’s tech ecosystem. “We will see as it happens. Policies will be clearly shared with everybody. We are a very transparent country,” he said, in response to whether investors like Tencent and Alibaba could resume backing Indian startups.
Chinese funds were once among the biggest financiers of India’s digital economy, but investments have slowed sharply since April 2020, when the government mandated prior approvals for FDI from bordering nations under Press Note 3. This shift forced startups to diversify their funding sources and offer exits to Chinese investors.
On India-China collaboration in semiconductors and electronics, Vaishnaw acknowledged the global interdependence of supply chains but stressed that “wherever the value is added, finally the benefits should come to our people, benefits should come to our industry.”
The remarks come amid reports that Indian and Chinese firms are exploring joint ventures in electronics manufacturing, especially in components, to leverage Chinese scale and technology for India’s growing domestic demand.
