China has grudgingly admitted that India has become the Bigger Brother in the art of clampdowns, bestowing the title of standard-bearer on the smaller neighbour.

One of the most powerful voices in China has said the Internet shutdown by India in parts of the Northeast means that such blackouts “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,” the People’s Daily Online said in an article.

The portal is the online voice of the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

“India did not hesitate to shut down the internet in these two states (Assam and Meghalaya) to cope when there is a significant threat to national security,” the portal said.

The next paragraph made it clear why the Chinese media outlet was finding comfort in India’s company. “When China’s Xinjiang region faced a similar national security threat a few years ago, the Chinese government responded with a similar strategy. However, it attracted sharp criticism from mainstream media in Europe and the US,” the People’s Daily Online added.