New Delhi: The government’s decision to suspend internet services in the North East region and Jammu & Kashmir has evoked support from an unlikely country — China — which justified the ban saying it was for national security and emergency.
People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, in an editorial on Tuesday observed that India’s action in Assam and Meghalaya meant “shutting down the internet in a state of emergency should be standard practice for sovereign countries”.
“The internet shutdown in India has once again proved that the necessary regulation of the internet is a reasonable choice of sovereign countries based on national interests, and a natural extension of national sovereignty in cyberspace”, it added.
China is known for poor internet freedom and in a 2019 study the Chinese government was identified as the world’s worst abuser of internet freedom for the fourth consecutive year.
The editorial in People’s Daily said India has the world’s second largest internet market with more than 650 million users – 32 million of whom are in Assam and Meghalaya alone.
It did not hesitate to shut down the internet in these two states when there was a significant threat to national security, the editorial said.
The English daily compared India’s move to the internet ban in China’s own Xinjiang region, which evoked sharp criticism from European and American media.
The comments have come after internet services were suspended in Assam and Meghalaya in the wake of ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. In Jammu & Kashmir, the internet shutdown has remained in effect since August 5 following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of state into two Union territories.
Other parts of India, especially West Bengal, have also faced internet suspension in the last few days.
