Amazon, Flipkart to add made in China labels amid border tension in India

The e-commerce giants joined about a dozen other online retailers including Jio Platforms in agreeing to the move as anti-China sentiment has escalated since Galwan Valley clash.

The e-commerce giants joined about a dozen other online retailers including Jio Platforms in agreeing to the move as anti-China sentiment has escalated since Galwan Valley clash.

The internet giants joined about a dozen other online retailers including Facebook Inc.-backed Jio Platforms in agreeing to the move, widely regarded as a move to single out goods from China after a deadly border clash stoked long-simmering tensions. It’s unclear when the labeling will kick off, because the e-commerce companies have asked for more time to incorporate the new requirement into their technology, people familiar with the matter said.

Facebook-backed Reliance Jio has also agreed to the move, as have Reliance Retail, Tata Cliq, and Jio Platforms.

Sources familiar with the matter told ET that the e-commerce companies should provide the government officials feedback within a fortnight after discussing it with their sellers and retailers.

If this plan to label goods and products materialises, it is likely to hurt the sale of Chinese goods. As the slogans and hashtags of `Boycott China` and `Boycott Chinese Products` are trending all over social media. This came after the Galwan valley clash that claimed the life of 20 Indian soldiers and left many injured.

The labelling of products would encourage the government’s Make in India policy. “In an offline setting, a consumer can pick up a product, see where it was made, and take an informed decision. Similar details should be displayed on e-commerce websites,” a senior government official told Economic Times.

The move is also in line with the government`s `Atmanirbhar Bharat` or Self Reliant India policy that focuses on economy, infrastructure, system, demography, and demand. PM Modi had said this was the time to become vocal for our “local” products and make them global, with a focus on land, labour, liquidity, and laws.

The government recently made it mandatory for sellers to put country of origin information on its Government e-Marketplace (GeM) for all government purchases.

The e-marketplace is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, which facilitates the entry of small local sellers in public procurement while implementing the Make in India and MSE Purchase Preference Policies of the Centre. Moreover, a Make in India filter has now been enabled on the portal. Buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50% local content criteria, as per IANS.


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