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NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Indian authorities Wednesday accused Chinese language smartphone maker Oppo of evading customs responsibility price $551 million, the newest tech firm from China to face scrutiny by native investigative companies.
India’s Directorate Of Income Intelligence (DRI) discovered proof that Oppo wrongfully used responsibility exemptions for gadgets imported to be used in cell phone manufacturing, a authorities assertion mentioned.
DRI officers searched Oppo India places of work and key managers’ residences, it mentioned, and recovered “proof indicating wilful mis-declaration within the description of sure gadgets imported by Oppo India to be used within the manufacture of cell phones”.
Relations between New Delhi and Beijing have been at a low ebb since a lethal Himalayan navy stand-off between the international locations in 2020.
The searches make Oppo the newest Chinese language tech firm to return below New Delhi’s highlight, after related raids in opposition to Vivo, Xiaomi and Huawei earlier this yr.
India’s residence ministry has additionally banned a whole bunch of cellular functions of Chinese language origin, together with the massively common social media platform TikTok.
The federal government justified the bans as a needed safeguard in opposition to threats to India’s sovereignty.
Anti-China sentiment has grown in India because the deadly 2020 troop conflict, sparking requires shopper boycotts of Chinese language items.
China continues to be a key financial associate for India, with greater than $125 billion in bilateral commerce final yr.
India is residence to the second-highest variety of smartphone customers on this planet, after China.
Its smartphone market grew 27 % year-on-year in 2021, in accordance with tech analysis agency Counterpoint, with annual gross sales exceeding 169 million models.
Oppo India, which additionally manages different manufacturers together with OnePlus and Realme, is likely one of the largest smartphone distributors within the nation.
Oppo, which is owned by China’s BBK Electronics, mentioned it has “a distinct view on the costs talked about”.
“We consider it’s an industry-wide problem (that) many corporates are engaged on … we’re going to reply (to) the discover, presenting our facet,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement.
© Agence France-Presse
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