Political tensions between China and the United States have impacted several Apple decisions in recent years. The most important has been the diversification of the production of its devices to Vietnam. However, the consequences of a similar situation between China and India They affect Cupertino again.
According to Reuters, The Bureau of Standards of India (BIS) has hampered the importation of smartphones made in China.
The arrival of the iPhone 12 in India slows down
While Apple has assembly operations in India, newer models and iPhone 12 are imported from China, where contract manufacturers assemble most Apple devices.
The delay in the import office has currently affected Apple, Xiaomi and Oppo. According to the gsmarena post, the BIS normally processes imports within 15 days, but reports say the paperwork now takes up to two months.
As Reuters also reported, India’s prime minister promotes self-sufficiency and local production, while traders and Hindu nationalist groups call for boycott of products imported from China, after a confrontation at the border earlier this year.
“As of Wednesday, 1,080 requests to the BIS for laptops, tablets and other devices were pending, of which 669 waited more than 20 days.”
Given the proximity of the start of sales for the Christmas season, this delay could be detrimental to the local economy, given the retailers who depend on the arrival of these products to meet their commitments.