India to soon allow FDI via automatic route for firms with up to 10% Chinese stake

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The net FDI into the country has increased to $6.26 billion during April-February 2025-26 against $959 million in the full fiscal year of 2024-25.

However, these relaxed FDI rules will not apply to entities registered in China or Hong Kong or other countries sharing land borders with India.
However, these relaxed FDI rules will not apply to entities registered in China or Hong Kong or other countries sharing land borders with India. | Credits: Shutterstock

The decision to allow overseas companies with Chinese shareholding of up to 10% to invest in India under the automatic route will be notified soon under FEMA, a senior government official said on Thursday.

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After that, the changes will come into effect.

In March, the Union Cabinet approved amendments in the press note (PN) 3 of 2020 of the DPIIT. As per the press note, foreign companies having a Chinese/Hong Kong shareholding of up to 10% will be eligible to invest in India in sectors where FDI is permitted under the automatic route.

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However, these relaxed FDI rules will not apply to entities registered in China or Hong Kong or other countries sharing land borders with India.

The government has also decided that FDI proposals in specified sectors or activities of manufacturing in capital goods, electronic capital goods, electronic components, polysilicon and ingot-wafer or any other sector/activity added by the committee of secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary will be processed within 60 days.

Although the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has notified these changes, the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) has not yet done so.

"The DEA will have to issue the notification under FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act). It will be notified very soon. It requires a lot of fine-tuning," DPIIT Joint Secretary Jai Prakash Shivahare told reporters here.

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He added that the DPIIT is working to identify sub-sectors whose applications will be processed within 60 days. It is also looking at old applications under PN3 which need not require government approval.

Those applicants may just have to be inform and go ahead with their investments.

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Before the March amendment, any company with shareholders from countries sharing a land border with India had to seek mandatory government approval for investments in any sector in India.

Shivahare also said that total FDI, which includes reinvested earnings, has touched $88.29 billion during April-February 2025-26. It was $80.61 billion in 2024-25.

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The net FDI into the country has increased to $6.26 billion during April-February 2025-26 against $959 million in the full fiscal year of 2024-25.

Meanwhile, addressing the media, DPIIT Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia said the total foreign direct investment (FDI) is likely to reach $90 billion in the full 2025-26 fiscal.

He said that reform measures, free trade agreements and fast-growing economic growth are helping the country to attract healthy investments.

The department also informed that Invest India, the national investment Promotion and facilitation agency, has facilitated the grounding of 60 projects worth over $6.1 billion during 2025 26. These investments span 14 states and are estimated to generate more than 31,000 potential jobs.

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About 42% of the total grounded investment value originates from European nations.

Continued participation from the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and other key source markets affirms broad-based international confidence in India's regulatory environment and manufacturing capabilities.

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Emerging source nations such as Brazil, New Zealand, and Canada indicate diversification in the country's investment base.

"India's investment momentum is a direct outcome of policy clarity, institutional commitment, and the trust global investors place in our systems," Bhatia said.

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Invest India MD and CEO Nivruti Rai said chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and food processing sectors account for about 65% of grounded investments, driven by high-value projects.

The agency, she said, key emerging sectors such as electronics system design and manufacturing, aerospace and defence, and auto/EV have recorded significant activity.

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She added that the agency is focusing on 11 countries for attracting greater inflows.

(Except for the headline, Fortune India has not edited the content of this PTI report.)

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