- As the standoff between India and China on the border of north-eastern state Sikkim, social media is abuzz with the demand for boycotting chinese made products.
- By this, India can make economic pressure on china. India in latest financial yr imported USD60Billion goods from china.
- This is 2nd time in last 2 yrs when calls for baning Chinese goods picked up. Last time when such demands were made, India was looking for china’s support to get Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar designated as terriorist by UN and china refused.
- People demanded ban on Chinese goods on social media bt it failed to ilicit any response from the govt.
- It was unlikely that govt. would have reacted on such demand as last yr Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made it clear that “it isn’t possible for india to put a ‘blanket ban’ on Chinese goos due to WTO rules. Just because we don’t like certainthings about a country is not enough reason for us to block imports from that contry. We could impose anti-dumping duties, but there are established ways to go about it and dumping has to be proved.”
- Well known geostrategists and professors of strategic studies at CPR Brahma Chellaney syas that it is time india should use its most powerful weapn aginst china – trade. When Business today-digital asked Brahma that if govt is bound by WTO regulations, he said if Beijing can punish South Korea and Mangolia why cant we?
HERE’S WHAT BEIJING DID TO PUNISH SOTH KOREA, NORWAY AND MANGOLIA:
- China baned South Korean cosmetics and retail giant Lotte:-
- When SouthKorea deployed the US’ TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENSE or THAAD missile system, to put pressure on Seoul,
- Beijing slapped a ban on Korean cosmetics
- Asked Chinese tour groups not to visit South Korea
- Banned South Korean retail giant LOTTE
- It wanted S.Korea to abandon the THAAD system as it considered it as a threat to its national security
- However, Chinese govt. didn’t report abot the tourism ban but the tour operators informed about it.
- When SouthKorea deployed the US’ TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENSE or THAAD missile system, to put pressure on Seoul,
- China banned Norwegian salmon fish import:-
- Banned Norwegian salmon fish eorts in 2010
- It came after Oslo based Nobel Committee awarded 2010 peace price to a Chinese dissident(protstor) Liu Xiaobo.
- After ban, sale of fresh salmon dropped by 61.8%
- Norway opposed the ban and threatened to approach WTO but nothing happened.
- Finally Oslo has to commit to the ‘one-china policy and respect for china’s territorial integrity’.
- China blocked Mongolian Trucks after Dalai Lama visit:-
- Dec2016, magnolia became its prey.
- Beijing punished Mangolia for its welcome to the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama who visited the country despite china’s repeated warnings.
- China blocked 100s of Mongolian trucks carrying coal from crossing the china border.
- Go buy Chinese playbook:-
- Professor Brahma chellaney in his article suggested that India should use trade as a political we on against china.
- He said” Beijing’s annual surplus trade surplus with India is large enough for it to finance one China-Pakistan Economic corridor (CPEC) every calendar year and still have a few billions to spare. G̱ven china’s proclivity to deploy(use) trade as a political weapon, as against south Korea in the latest case, why don’t India take a page out of Chinese playbook?”
- Should PM Modi follow Donald Trump on trade deficit with china ?
- Chellaney refered to how Donald trump was trying to narrow down then trade deficit us has with India.
- Chellaney argued,”modi , for example, has allowed china’s trade surplus with India to double on his watch to almost $60billion. By comparison, India’s trade surplus with us is about half of that yet trump wants urgent indian action to balance the 2 way trade.”
Kashvi Gandhi 