Shein, the Chinese fashion retailer, has been granted a rare exception to India’s ban on Chinese-linked apps, but with stringent conditions ensuring its operations remain entirely local. According to a parliamentary disclosure by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday, Reliance Retail Ventures Limited will maintain full ownership and operational control of the platform, with Shein functioning purely as a technology partner. The move marks Shein’s carefully structured re-entry into India after its ban in mid-2020 amid rising national security concerns over Chinese apps.
Under the government-approved deal, Shein must comply with the following requirements: • Local Hosting: The platform will be hosted entirely on Indian infrastructure. • Data Sovereignty: All Indian customer data—personal and non-personal—will remain in India. Shein will have no access to or rights over this data.
• Security Oversight: The platform will undergo regular audits by government-empanelled cybersecurity auditors, a level of scrutiny uncommon for standard retail operations. “Shein will operate purely as a technology partner, with Reliance maintaining complete ownership and control,” Goyal said in the disclosure. Reliance Retail, a wholly owned subsidiary of India’s largest conglomerate Reliance Industries, will oversee Shein’s local operations.
The agreement aligns with the government’s push for economic self-reliance and increased domestic production. As part of the deal, lo.
