Overview
- Officials are preparing to scrap the registration requirement for bidders from bordering nations, according to Reuters’ government sources.
- The proposal still needs sign-off from the Prime Minister’s Office, and there has been no official comment from the PMO or the finance ministry.
- Rules imposed in 2020 after a deadly border clash required registration plus political and security clearances, effectively barring Chinese firms from roughly $700–$750 billion in contracts.
- Government departments have cited equipment shortages and delays in infrastructure and energy projects, prompting a recommendation to ease curbs from a committee led by Rajiv Gauba.
- An early consequence was the disqualification of China’s CRRC from a $216 million train contract, while separate curbs on Chinese FDI remain even as visas and flights have been restored.