India has stepped up a crack down on the Chinese companies that dominate its smartphone market, in a series of legal actions that have raised trade tensions between Asia’s two biggest nations.
Oppo, which sells both the popular realme brand and its eponymous marque, was accused by Indian regulators of tax evasion this week. That move follows recent raids, lawsuits and sweeping asset seizures against Xiaomi and Vivo. Together, the three Chinese technology groups control around 60 per cent of India’s smartphone market.
The move comes as New Delhi seeks to build up its domestic tech sector and reduce dependence on Chinese imports, and against a backdrop of frosty relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours over their disputed border.