Mobile Retailers Urge Ban on Chinese Brands OnePlus, iQoo, and Poco
Mobile Retailers Urge Ban on Chinese Brands OnePlus, iQoo, and Poco
Mobile retailers in India have urged the government to revoke the business licenses of Chinese-owned smartphone brands like OnePlus, iQoo, and Poco, accusing them of engaging in anti-competitive practices. The All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) has called on Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to take action, claiming that these brands cause financial losses to the government.
According to AIMRA, these companies maintain exclusive deals with e-commerce platforms like Amazon, bypassing retail stores, which disrupts market competition and denies the government valuable tax revenue. AIMRA Chairman Kailash Lakhyani highlighted that these practices, such as diverting products from e-commerce to retail, harm local businesses and violate fair trading rules.
The association also pointed out that Chinese brands like iQoo, Poco, and OnePlus primarily sell their products online, marginalizing brick-and-mortar stores. They accuse these companies of supporting the grey market, leading to tax evasion and undermining fair trade in India. AIMRA has previously requested these brands to make their products available in traditional retail outlets but says their efforts have been ignored.
A recent report by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) found that companies such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Realme, along with e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart, engaged in anti-competitive practices by favoring exclusive product launches online, violating local competition laws. AIMRA and other trade bodies like the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) are calling for stricter regulations to ensure a fair marketplace for both online and offline retailers.
The traders’ groups also proposed measures such as eliminating GST input credits for B2C transactions, banning exclusive instant cashback offers, and introducing a luxury tax on high-end products sold online to prevent market manipulation and protect local businesses.
