It is impossible to place a blanket ban on import of Chinese goods, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said. Curbs can only be placed if there are quality issues or if the imports are subsidised or dumped, she added.
Responding to calls from certain sections of the Indian industry and consumer lobby to stop imports of Chinese items, the Minister said that they have to first give evidence to prove that the quality of the goods is below laid out standards or could cause health hazards or that the items are being dumped at subsidised prices.
“Just because we may not like certain things about a country is not reason enough to block imports from that country. We could impose anti-dumping duties, but there are established ways to go about it and dumping has to be proved,” she said talking to reporters on Friday.
Sitharaman, in her bilateral talks with Chinese Vice Minister of Finance and Commerce Wang Shouwen on Thursday, raised concerns about India’s yawning trade gap with China. She asked for fast clearance of rice and pharmaceutical exports from India and grant of IT projects to Indian companies in addition to greater market access for items such as oilseeds and tobacco.
India’s trade deficit with China crossed $52 billion in 2014-15 and accounted for almost half of the country’s total trade deficit.