December saw 11.3% surge PC, laptop imports hit $276M from China

29 Feb, 2024

December saw 11.3% surge PC, laptop imports hit $276M from China

After a month’s hiatus, imports of personal computers, laptops, and tablets from China saw a notable surge of 11.3% to $276 million in December. This surge contrasted with a slight 0.8% decline in total imports of such items, as per the latest data from the commerce department.

In December, imports from Singapore and Hong Kong witnessed declines of 66.1% and 41.8% respectively, contributing $11.6 million and $13.6 million worth of shipments to India. China dominated the market, accounting for 89.4% of shipments in December and 76.4% from April to December of FY24.

Following the government's announcement to categorize certain IT hardware products as "restricted," there was an initial surge in imports, driven by concerns over potential licensing requirements. However, after industry backlash, implementation was deferred until November 1.

The government later decided not to restrict imports from any territory, introducing a new contactless import authorization system. With the monitoring system now operational, India collects data on specific product imports.

At the World Trade Organization, India’s monitoring system has drawn concerns from key trading partners. During the India-US Trade Policy Forum, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai appreciated India's facilitative approach but urged vigilance to prevent trade restrictions in the future.