'There is absolutely no proposal...': Ashwini Vaishnaw rules out TikTok's India return

The government has put to rest speculation over TikTok’s possible return to India, with Union IT, Information and Broadcasting, and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw making it clear that there is no proposal to lift the ban on the Chinese short-video app.

Speaking to Moneycontrol, Vaishnaw said the issue had not even been discussed within the government. “There is absolutely no proposal which has come from any quarters,” he noted, amid reports that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, was exploring a re-entry.

Rumours of a potential comeback grew last month when TikTok’s website briefly became accessible on some broadband and mobile networks, including Airtel and Vodafone. The temporary glitch sparked speculation on social media, but officials have now dismissed the possibility.

TikTok was among the 59 Chinese apps blocked in June 2020 over national security and data privacy concerns. The ban was later made permanent in January 2021, after Apple and Google pulled the apps from their respective stores. At the time, India was TikTok’s biggest market with more than 200 million users.

Other ByteDance offerings, such as Helo and CapCut, were also barred, while its music streaming app Resso was forced to shut down in India after its removal from app stores.

When asked whether Chinese investors could once again play a role in India’s startup ecosystem, Vaishnaw said the government would remain open but transparent. “We will see as it happens. Policies will be clearly shared with everybody. We are a very transparent country,” he said.

Chinese investors such as Tencent, Alibaba, Ant Financial and Shunwei Capital were once among the biggest supporters of Indian startups, backing companies across e-commerce, fintech, food delivery, mobility and digital content. However, this slowed dramatically after the Centre introduced Press Note 3 in April 2020, which required prior approval for investments from countries sharing land borders with India.

On broader collaboration in technology and manufacturing, particularly in semiconductors and electronics, Vaishnaw acknowledged the global nature of the sector. “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 added.