IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw quashes speculation on TikTok’s return to India

Amid swirling speculation about TikTok’s possible return to India, Union Minister for IT, I&B and Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw has categorically ruled out any such move. Speaking to the media report, Vaishnaw said, “There is absolutely no proposal which has come from any quarters.”

The minister’s remarks come at a time when India and China appear to be exploring a thaw in relations, fuelling chatter that ByteDance’s short-video platform could be eyeing a re-entry. Last month, TikTok’s website briefly became accessible on some broadband and mobile networks, including Airtel and Vodafone, further adding to the speculation.

India was TikTok’s largest market

TikTok was among the first set of 59 Chinese apps banned in June 2020 over national security concerns. The app was pulled from Apple’s App Store and Google Play, and the Centre later made the ban permanent in January 2021. At the time, India was TikTok’s biggest market with over 200 million users.

The government’s 2020 order also suspended other ByteDance apps like Helo and CapCut, while the company eventually shut down its music app Resso in India after it was removed from app stores in January 2024.

Asked whether Chinese investors could re-enter India’s tech sector, Vaishnaw said, “We will see as it happens. Policies will be clearly shared with everybody. We are a very transparent country.”

Until 2020, Chinese giants like Tencent, Alibaba, Ant Financial and Shunwei Capital were among the largest investors in Indian startups, backing companies across e-commerce, fintech, food delivery, mobility and edtech. But the government’s Press Note 3, issued in April 2020, mandated prior approval for investments from countries sharing a land border with India. That policy sharply slowed Chinese capital inflows, forcing Indian startups to seek alternate funding or facilitate exits.

On whether India and China could work together in semiconductors and electronics manufacturing, Vaishnaw pointed to the nature of the global value chain. “We do respect this reality of the global value chain, and we respect the way this industry works. So, wherever the value is added, finally the benefits should come to our people, benefits should come to our industry,” he said.

Several Indian and Chinese firms are also holding talks for joint ventures in electronics components manufacturing, seeking technology tie-ups and scale efficiencies at a time when US tariffs under President Trump have disrupted global supply chains.