Chinese e-commerce platform Shein relaunching in India 3 years after govt blocked it

Shein, a Chinese online fast fashion brand, is set to make a comeback in India almost three years after it was banned. The company has partnered with Reliance Retail, a subsidiary of Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, to enter the Indian market. While Reliance Industries has not officially confirmed the deal, reports indicate that the collaboration between Reliance Retail and Shein will be mutually beneficial.

Shein is known for its trendy and affordable clothing options for women and quickly gained a massive following among the younger generation. However, in June 2020, it was banned in India, along with 59 other Chinese apps, by the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to safeguard national sovereignty and integrity.

Citing the apps as a "threat to sovereignty and integrity," the ban was a result of India's concerns about data privacy and security, especially regarding apps originating from China. The government believed that these apps posed potential risks in terms of data collection, storage, and potential misuse. Notably, since June 2020, the government of India has banned more than 250 Chinese apps, including PUBG Mobile, TikTok, Shein, AliExpress, and more.

Although the ban restricted the official Shein platform, its products continued to be available in India through e-commerce platforms like Amazon. However, even the availability of Shein's products faced scrutiny, leading to a notice issued by the Delhi High Court to ban the sale of Shein clothing on the platform.

A PTI report citing industry sources says that Shein will make its comeback in collaboration with leading Indian retailer Reliance Retail. The company is speculated to use Reliance Retail's sourcing capabilities, warehousing, and logistics infrastructure to further expand the business.

BGMI relaunching in India

In other news, Battlegrounds Mobile India, popularly known as BGMI among fans, is now available on app stores for download. The app was banned last year due to privacy concerns regarding the handling of user data. The Indian government reportedly issued an order to remove the game from the Play Store, and Google complied with the order.

BGMI is the Indian version of the popular battle royale game PUBG Mobile. Developed by Krafton, the game was released in July 2021 after PUBG Mobile was banned in India in September 2020 due to national security concerns. For BGMI, Krafton even cut ties with Tencent, which is a China-based technology and cultural enterprise and holds major stakes in PUBG.

Within months of its launch, BGMI became one of the top mobile games on app stores. However, on July 12, 2022, the government even banned BGMI under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.