Chinese Manufacturer Xiaomi's Retail Outlets Cloak Themselves In ‘Made in India’ Banners Amid Anti-China Sentiments

As the tension on the India- China border continues, the calls for Boycott of Chinese goods are getting louder. Amid rising anti-China sentiments, Chinese Mobile phone manufacturer Xiaomi is cloaking itself with ‘Made in India’ banners.

The All India Mobile Retailers Association said it had written to Chinese mobile brands to bring to their notice the looming threat of vandalism as the anti-Chinese sentiment gains steam, as reported.

"In our letter, we had requested the brands to allow retailers to cover these signages with cloth/flex or to remove the boards from the storefront for a few months given the situation... Xiaomi has started putting 'Made in India' banners in white colour on its boards," AIMRA National President Arvinder Khurana said, as quoted.

"This could be a threat to the safety of retailers in case the aggression increases. Damage to the boards displaying Chinese branding should not be the retailer's liability," Khurana added.

Earlier this year, India overtook The US to become the second largest mobile market after China. 72 per cent of the market-share though belongs to Chinese mobile phone makers, which in 2018 stood at 60 per cent according to a study by a market researcher Counterpoint.

This number though is expected to be much lower that 2019 in the post Covid-19 environment.

In 2019, the Indian market recorded 158 million shipments while it is being estimated at around 130 million this year.