India to delay import licensing of laptops after US, trade push again, sources say

NEW DELHI, Sept 23 (Reuters) – India will defer an import licence requirement for laptops and tablets, two authorities officers mentioned, a coverage U-turn after trade and the U.S. authorities complained in regards to the transfer, which might hit Apple (AAPL.O), Samsung (005930.KS) and others.

The plan shall be delayed by a 12 months, after which the federal government will contemplate whether or not to implement a licensing regime or not, one of many officers informed Reuters, requesting anonymity.

The licensing regime, introduced abruptly on Aug. 3, aimed to “guarantee trusted {hardware} and methods” enter India, cut back dependence on imports, enhance native manufacturing and partially handle the nation’s commerce imbalance with China.

However following trade objections, the preliminary plan was shortly delayed by about three months.

Final month U.S. commerce chief Katherine Tai raised considerations with India over the transfer, which might additionally have an effect on corporations equivalent to Dell (DELL.N) and HP (HPE.N).

India’s electronics ministry is now proposing an easier import registration course of that is because of begin in November, mentioned the officers, who’ve direct information of the discussions.

A consultant for India’s IT ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The brand new ‘imports administration system’ will want corporations to acquire ‘registration certificates’ for imports of laptops, tablets and private computer systems, as a substitute of licences proposed earlier by the Aug.3 order, one of many officers mentioned.

The ministry conveyed the proposal to trade officers in a gathering on Friday, they added.

India’s electronics imports, together with laptops, tablets and private computer systems, stood at $19.7 billion within the April to June interval, up 6.25% year-on-year.

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