India turns down $1B investments by China's BYD

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) — India has declined a $1 billion investment offer from Chinese electric car manufacturer giant BYD Motors, local media reported on Saturday.

The Mumbai-based daily Economic Times reported that New Delhi rejected BYD Motors' proposal to establish a $1 billion manufacturing facility in the country, citing "security concerns associated with Chinese investments in the country."

A major car maker, BYD Motors has introduced two electric vehicle models into the Indian market.

The decision comes after a change in Indian investment regulations in April 2020, requiring all foreign investments from neighboring nations to undergo an approval process led by the Interior Ministry.

China and India maintain a bilateral trade volume of over $135 billion annually. However, the two Asian neighbors have been embroiled in a border dispute since May 2020 in the Ladakh area of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.