Eric Ho, the country manager in India for Nubia, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer expanding in the India, talks about the business opportunities for Chinese firms.
Why is India an interesting market for Chinese companies?
There is a lot of dichotomy between Chinese and Indian markets. India today is on the cusp of similar economic progress where China found itself a decade ago. Chinese companies see a lot of opportunity to grow here. The conditions are similar, people and their value systems are the same and the government is democratic, encouraging businesses to come and invest. If one was to look at the pure business case, China has the world’s largest population and India is the second largest in that parameter. If a company acquires a10 per cent market share in both countries, it is easily amongst the largest in the world.
What is Nubia doing in the Indian market and what future plans does it have?
Nubia plans to invest US$100 million in India over the next five years. Nubia entered India as a stand-alone brand in 2016. Currently the company has a very lean team looking after operations here, but that will increase soon. Nubia retails exclusively with Amazon in India. Nubia’s investments in India are directed towards establishing a manufacturing facility in India and towards brand building initiatives. Nubia is working very aggressively to introduce an e-tail website for products and accessories. This store is expected to go live by the end of 2017.
Why is Nubia so focused on India?
India is a significant market for Nubia. We believe that a stable government combined with rising incomes and ongoing institutional reforms such as the GST [goods and services tax] lend it a very high potential as a market.
business@thenational.ae
Follow The National's Business section on Twitter
