Shimla trade body boycotts Chinese products

By

Maverick Martins

Published
Oct 24, 2016

A trade body in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, has decided to boycott Chinese manufactured products ahead of Diwali due to Beijing's lack of support fir New Delhi in its drive to isolate Pakistan.

 China, a longstanding ally of Pakistan, has rebuffed India's calls for the United Nations to designate Maulana Masood Azhar, leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed group that India blames for recent cross-border attacks, as a terrorist.
 
The president of the Shimla Beopar Mandal (trade association), Inderjeet Singh, said traders have been asked to minimise imports from China and promote domestic products.

"As China is not supporting us internationally, so we the Shimla Beopar Mandal have decided to not support Chinese products. We have got some products from them but now we are telling our traders to not get more items from them. This is how we are boycotting Chinese goods," said Singh.
 
In the run up to Diwali, people across the country splurge on buying a host of new items for their homes and gifts like clothes, jewellery and sweets etc. for their loved ones. It is considered auspicious to make new purchases at this period.
 
Local trader Satish Kapoor said, "We are trying our best to sell Indian products and bulk of our goods is Indian."
 
Earlier this week, 55 trade bodies in Gujarat had also announced a boycott of Chinese products and urged consumers to support the same.
 
India has expressed concern over the trade deficit that touched USD 46 billion last year. In September this year, data showed India had exported goods worth USD 922 million to China and imported goods worth USD 5.4 billion.
 
Meanwhile, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said last week that there was no policy or instrument to stop import from China completely. It will act as a pull factor for increased consumption of fiber, yarns and fabric produced domestically, she said.