Chinese apps return to India, including Shein and Taobao, 5 years after border clash

The mobile apps of fast-fashion retailer Shein and Alibaba Group Holding’s Taobao marketplace and Youku video-streaming platform are again available to Indian users more than four years after New Delhi mass-banned Chinese apps following a border clash.

Shein, founded in China but now headquartered in Singapore, made a comeback via a new app named “Shein India Fast Fashion”, which was launched specifically for the South Asian country.

The app was published in late January by the local firm Reliance Retail on both Google Play and Apple’s App Store, according to app data from Data.ai. Reliance Retail has entered a long-term licensing deal with Shein to sell products manufactured and sourced locally, the BBC reported last week, citing an executive from the retail subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries.

Alibaba, owner of the Post, took a similar approach with Youku. An international version of the app called “Youku – Drama, Film, Show, Anime” – which has been available in various markets since 2021 for iPhone and 2022 for Android – has been available in India at least since November 2024, the earliest record on Data.ai available to the Post.

While the Android version of the app was published by Youku, the iPhone version was launched by Alibaba’s Hong Kong subsidiary Jet Brilliant.

Taobao appeared to return as the same app that existed in India before the ban. It has also been available since at least November, according to Data.ai.