INDONESIA has asked Alphabet's Google and Apple to block Chinese fast fashion e-commerce firm Temu in their application stores so it cannot be downloaded, reports Reuters.

The move was intended to pre-emptively protect the country's small and medium-sized businesses against cheap products being offered by PDD Holdings' Temu, Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi told Reuters, even though authorities have not found any transactions yet by its residents on the platform.

Temu's rapid growth has triggered scrutiny over its low-cost business model of sending parcels to customers from China by several countries.

Temu's business model, which connects consumers directly with factories in China in order to significantly reduce prices, is "unhealthy competition," the minister said.