India has cleared all consignments, after through checks

India had recently tightened physical checks on imports from China, causing delays in clearing of consigned Chinese goods, consequently clogging ports and freight stations in the south Asian nation. Instead of the usual random checks of imported cargoes, the Indian customs authorities began subjecting all Chinese imports to full physical scrutiny on 22 June, bringing clearances to a halt until 2 July.

The government had begun 100% manual checks of all Chinese consignments last week and gave selective approvals to non-Chinese companies such as Samsung, Apple, Dell, Cisco, HP and manufacturing components for Foxconn, which manufactures smartphones for China-based brand Xiaomi in its dedicated facility in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, had not received approval. It was stuck at ports and airports following a security alert that was triggered pan-India.

Imports of Chinese smartphone brands including Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Realme too are being cleared, having received approvals for automatic clearance of the consignments, the industry association representing these companies said.Delays in getting their consignments had sent alarm bells ringing across electronics manufacturers, who feared damage to sensitive components, besides the impact on supplies for the local markets as well as for exports.Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) president Sharad Saraf had called for “a calibrated approach to reducing imports from China because our industry is dependent more on industrial inputs from China than from any other country”.