Indian minister appeals for boycott of Chinese goods

An Indian cabinet minister today appealed for a boycott of Chinese goods following the violent border standoff that left 20 Indian troops dead in Ladakh on Monday.

The Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said the government will strictly enforce the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) quality rules on products imported from China, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Paswan also directed his ministry officials against procuring any Chinese products for day-to-day office use.

Expressing concern over illegal import of "sub-standard" Chinese products like lamps and furniture, the minister said the government will strictly implement the quality rules framed by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The BIS, under the Consumer Affairs Ministry, has framed over 25,000 quality rules for different products so far, he said.

"Our goods are checked when sent abroad. Our basmati rice exports get rejected, but when their [China's] goods come to India, there is no strict quality control," he added.

China is India's second largest trade partner after the US and its companies have a large presence in the Indian market particularly in consumer electronics, including smartphones.

Chinese smartphone brands have captured an estimated 80 percent of the price-sensitive Indian market as of January-March this year.

India, the world's third biggest drug producer by volume, is dependent on China for 70 percent of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), key starting materials and intermediaries, according to Dinesh Dua, chairman of Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council.

India manufactures drugs worth 39 billion dollars every year and imported APIs worth Rs 17,800 crore in 2018-19 and exported APIs worth Rs 1,600 crore.