India's strict control over quality permits for electronic goods imported from China slowed the import of new iPhones from Apple last month and halted other products manufactured by companies such as Xiaomi, Reuters quoted two informed sources as saying.
Applications to the quality control agency called the Indian Standards Office are usually processed within 15 days, but some have so far taken up to two months, or more.
The Bureau of Indian Standards began delaying approvals in August of Chinese-made imports of devices, such as smartphones, smartwatches and laptops, amid the fallout from deteriorating relations with China after a border clash in June that killed 20 Indian soldiers.
Since the clash, India has tightened investment rules from China, banning hundreds of Chinese mobile applications, including popular applications from Chinese tech giants such as Tencent, Alibaba and PayatDance. On Tuesday, it banned an additional 43 applications.
The two sources said that when Apple's new iPhone 12 was delayed, Apple's executives in India (Indian Standards Office) called for its approval to be expedited, and gave assurances that the company would continue to expand assembly operations in India.
It was not clear how long the iPhone 12 had been delayed. Although the company has assemblies in India, the latest models of the iPhone 12 are imported from China, where the company contracts with manufacturers to manufacture the bulk of its devices.
As of Wednesday, 1,080 applications were pending at the Indian Standards Office for laptops, tablets and other devices, including 669 applications, which are awaited for 20 days, according to the office's website. There are applications that have not been approved since last September.
Indian traders and Hindu nationalist groups have for months called for a boycott of products imported from China because of the border clash, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to promote self-reliance and local production.
"While the [Indian Standards Office) delays approvals for products, such as smartwatches, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is pushing companies to manufacture these devices in India," said one source.
Under the Indian Standards Office registration scheme, some electronic goods - whether imported or homemade - need to meet certain standards. After companies test their products in an accredited laboratory, the Office approves the applications.
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