Xiaomi More Indian Than Some Indian Phone Makers, Says MD Manu Jain; Company Sources 65 Per Cent Local Components

New Delhi: The coronavirus pandemic followed by the border clash in Ladakh have amplified anti-China sentiments to an all-time high in India. One of the biggest fallout is a call to boycott Chinese consumer electronic products such as smartphones and TVs.

However, China-based Xiaomi, which is the largest smartphone seller in India with seven factories in the country, has a different take on the issue.

Comparing Xiaomi with Indian brands, MD Manu Kumar Jain told CNBC-TV18, “There are companies whose phones are 100 per cent made in China. There are so-called Indian companies who buy phones from China and re-brand them and sell in India. We are actually more Indian than any of them.”

In another interview to Economic Times, Jain informed that 65 per cent of components for Xiaomi phones sold in India such as PCBAs, battery backs, touch panels, back panels and camera modules are sourced locally.

He further said that all smartphones and most of the other products are made in India. Only 1 per cent of phones sold during Diwali sale or high-end ones are imported, he added.

The company has generated jobs for more than 50,000 individuals in India with its R&D, manufacturing and production here.

Reiterating PM Narendra Modi’s ‘vocal for local’ call, Jain said Xiaomi is one of the highest tax-paying smartphone companies in India.

According to the Xiaomi MD, the anti-China sentiment is limited to social media and is not likely to affect the company’s business in India. He pointed out that if it were a concern, then the company wouldn’t have sold over 1 lakh Redmi Earbuds in just a week.

Also Read: Xiaomi Leads Indian Smartphone Market, Vivo Is Number 2