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We can boycott China, but at what cost?
Atul Thakur
Jun 20, 2020
Atul Thakur
TNN
Jun 20, 2020, 14:54 IST
Across the country there are calls to boycott goods made in China, but does it really help India?
India is angry after bloody clash on June 15 between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan. Across the country, there are calls to boycott Chinese products and halt bilateral trade, with people burning Chinese appliances and goods and a Union minister even wanting a ban on restaurants selling Chinese food. WhatsApp forwards are further stoking this sentiment. However, shutting the door on Chinese products now will not benefit India. Here's why.
China is India's second-largest trade partner...
Two years ago, the United States edged past China to become India’s biggest trading partner at 11.3%. However, China still accounts for 10.6% of our trade. Together with Hong Kong, it is actually our largest trading partner by a wide margin.
...but India is one of China’s smaller partners
India accounts for only 2.1% of Chinese trade, and is in 12th place based on figures in 2018 . US tops the list at 13.7%. A trade war will, therefore, hurt India much more than China.
Boycott could hit India’s trade in a big way
According to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) data for 2018, 15.3% of India’s imports are from China, and 5.1% of India’s exports go to China, Despite the huge trade imbalance, it is difficult to say whether Chinese imports harm India, since, for instance, Chinese chemicals are used to manufacture drugs, which are exported to other countries.
China won’t feel the pain of Indian boycott
On the other hand, as the world’s ‘factory’, China is among the largest trade partners of almost all countries. India has only a small share in its exports and imports, so its boycott will not hurt China much.
India could lose out on Chinese investments
Chinese investment in India has been increasing steadily over the past two decades. The number of Chinese companies investing in India increased from 21 in 2010 to 48 in 2019, according to a report by fDimarkets.com, which tracks cross-border FDI investments.
Some 225 Chinese companies have invested in India between 2003 and 2020. The Chinese telecom industry, in particular, has a large presence in India. Huawei and Xiaomi currently have the highest number of projects operating in India, at 13 each. ZTE and Vivo each have 5 ongoing projects.
8 lakh Indians visit China every year, just 2.5 lakh Chinese come to India
The skewed trade balance is also reflected in Indians’ visits to China. In 1999, about 80,000 Indians had visited China. This increased tenfold to reach 8 lakh in 2016 — the year for which latest data is available. In 2017, 2.5 lakh Chinese visited India. Although there is a steady increase in their visits, the gap is still vast.
Turning the border dispute into a boycott of Chinese goods is thus unlikely to resolve the situation. Moreover, the Indian economy is already set to contract in fiscal year 2020-2021 due to the coronavirus lockdown halting economic activity, any trade war will only hurt India further.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...ina-but-at-what-cost/articleshow/76477740.cms
Atul Thakur
Jun 20, 2020
Atul Thakur
TNN
Jun 20, 2020, 14:54 IST
448
India is angry after bloody clash on June 15 between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan. Across the country, there are calls to boycott Chinese products and halt bilateral trade, with people burning Chinese appliances and goods and a Union minister even wanting a ban on restaurants selling Chinese food. WhatsApp forwards are further stoking this sentiment. However, shutting the door on Chinese products now will not benefit India. Here's why.
China is India's second-largest trade partner...
Two years ago, the United States edged past China to become India’s biggest trading partner at 11.3%. However, China still accounts for 10.6% of our trade. Together with Hong Kong, it is actually our largest trading partner by a wide margin.
...but India is one of China’s smaller partners
India accounts for only 2.1% of Chinese trade, and is in 12th place based on figures in 2018 . US tops the list at 13.7%. A trade war will, therefore, hurt India much more than China.
Boycott could hit India’s trade in a big way
According to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) data for 2018, 15.3% of India’s imports are from China, and 5.1% of India’s exports go to China, Despite the huge trade imbalance, it is difficult to say whether Chinese imports harm India, since, for instance, Chinese chemicals are used to manufacture drugs, which are exported to other countries.
China won’t feel the pain of Indian boycott
On the other hand, as the world’s ‘factory’, China is among the largest trade partners of almost all countries. India has only a small share in its exports and imports, so its boycott will not hurt China much.
India could lose out on Chinese investments
Chinese investment in India has been increasing steadily over the past two decades. The number of Chinese companies investing in India increased from 21 in 2010 to 48 in 2019, according to a report by fDimarkets.com, which tracks cross-border FDI investments.
Some 225 Chinese companies have invested in India between 2003 and 2020. The Chinese telecom industry, in particular, has a large presence in India. Huawei and Xiaomi currently have the highest number of projects operating in India, at 13 each. ZTE and Vivo each have 5 ongoing projects.
8 lakh Indians visit China every year, just 2.5 lakh Chinese come to India
The skewed trade balance is also reflected in Indians’ visits to China. In 1999, about 80,000 Indians had visited China. This increased tenfold to reach 8 lakh in 2016 — the year for which latest data is available. In 2017, 2.5 lakh Chinese visited India. Although there is a steady increase in their visits, the gap is still vast.
Turning the border dispute into a boycott of Chinese goods is thus unlikely to resolve the situation. Moreover, the Indian economy is already set to contract in fiscal year 2020-2021 due to the coronavirus lockdown halting economic activity, any trade war will only hurt India further.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...ina-but-at-what-cost/articleshow/76477740.cms