Chinese smartphone maker ‘Oppo’ canceled the live online launch of its flagship smartphone in India. This came after the Ladakh border clash between India and China.
The launch of the new Find X2 smartphone models was scheduled on Wednesday. Instead, the company released a 20-minute pre-recorded video. The video showcased Oppo India’s support to Indian authorities for COVID 19 control
Chinese investments in India grew from $1.6 Billion in 2014 to $8 Billion by 2018. Major Indian startups like Paytm, Zomato, Ola, and Swiggy had raised capital from Chinese investors.
Those who have invested in Indian markets already went into losses due to the Coronavirus lockdown, and now the boycott Chinese imports has posed a greater challenge.
Reuters reported that the launch is cancelled in order to “avoid any possible uproar on social media” from consumers, owing to the boycott on China.
Realme, owned by BBK Electronics, which also owns Oppo, released a video series about the company’s commitment to India, on YouTube, called ‘Ask Madhav’ hosted by Madhav Sheth, Realme India CEO.
“Realme is an Indian startup, which is not a global multinational corporation,” he said in the video.
Xiaomi owned Poco, on June 3, posted a tweet about the company’s commitment to “Make in India” program. “With a dream of serving Indian consumers, @IndiaPoco was born 2 years ago in Delhi, India,” the tweet said.
Chinese smartphone makers Oppo and Xiaomi have a market share of 70 percent, way ahead of their competitors Samsung and Apple in mobile phone sales.
Most of the Chinese mobile companies’ products sold in India are made locally in the company manufacturing plants. Mobile phone and accessory manufacturing units also increased from just 2 in 2014 to over 260 in 2019, which turned India into a manufacturer.
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) announced a nationwide campaign to boycott Chinese mobile companies’ products on. CAIT represents 7 Crore traders and 40,000 trade associations in the country.
The Indian government in April changed its foreign direct investment policy rules; monitoring all investments from China.