India IT ministry fears losing out to China, Vietnam in smartphone exports race

Reuters was first to report using confidential government documents that India fears losing out to China and Vietnam as it seeks to become a major smartphone export hub and wants to “act fast” to lure global companies with lower tariffs which it considers amongst the highest in the world.  Smartphone manufacturing is a key plank of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitions to boost the economy and create jobs in the world’s second-largest mobile market, but lawmakers and lobby groups for Apple argue India’s high tariffs are a deterrent for companies de-risking their supply chains beyond China.