

Tencent signals renewed investment interest as India eases Press Note-3 rules
Mint.The company trimmed or sold stakes in Indian portfolio companies including PB Fintech and Dream11 in recent years, amid India’s stringent foreign direct investment (FDI) rules.The Union cabinet on Tuesday relaxed restrictions under the Press Note-3 (PN-3), which mandated pre-approval for investments from countries that share a land border with India. According to an official statement, such investments will now be allowed through the automatic route up to 10% in a local firm, on the condition that the foreign investor must not exercise management control or hold a board seat.
Besides, existing rules on sectoral caps, entry routes and other conditions will continue to apply.The decision marks the first relaxation of Press Note-3 since it was introduced in April 2020 in the wake of tensions with China and concerns over opportunistic takeovers of Indian companies during the pandemic.Ties between India and China had frayed following the clash in Galwan Valley in June 2020, the most serious military conflict between the two countries in decades. India subsequently banned more than 200 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, WeChat and Alibaba’s UC browser.The PN-3 regime effectively shut out fresh Chinese capital and left several investment plans on hold.Cumulative FDI equity inflows from China into India stood at $2.51 billion between April 2000 and March 2025, according to data from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).Since Press Note-3 came into effect, Chinese venture investments in India have fallen sharply.
According to data from Venture Intelligence, deal activity dropped to 10 deals worth $780 million in 2022 from 17 transactions worth $5.2 billion in 2021. The slowdown continued in
. Read on livemint.com