India considers easing sure Chinese import curbs amid rising reliance: Sources | USAEMALL.com

RISING CHINESE IMPORTS

Responding to industry demands, the commerce ministry last month extended advance authorisations for quality-controlled inputs from 180 days to 18 months – easing critical Chinese raw material imports.

India’s imports from China rose more than 16 per cent to more than US$11 billion in September, with imports touching US$91 billion in the first nine months of 2025, up from about US$80 billion a year ago.

Exports rose modestly to about US$15 billion, widening the trade gap in Beijing’s favour, commerce ministry data showed.

The government would also not renew anti-dumping duties on items such as axle beams, steering components and high-tenacity polyester yarn, another government source said.

However, India’s trade remedies authority has launched new anti-dumping probes on imports such as cranes, toner cartridges and solar cells from China after local complaints.

“This is not about abandoning self-reliance policy,” the official said. “It’s about recognising that growth needs global inputs – and China remains too central to ignore.”

GROWING DEPENDENCE ON CHINA

India’s reliance on critical Chinese supplies has deepened in a number of categories.

Imports now account for 91 per cent of embroidery machines, 92 per cent of saw blades, 72 per cent of inverters and half of UPS systems, said Ajay Srivastava, founder of Global Trade Research Initiative, a Delhi-based think-tank.

Nearly 90 per cent of antibiotics, silicon wafers, flat-panel displays, and 80 per cent of laptops are also imported from China, according to Global Trade Research Initiative.

The trade deficit hit nearly US$94 billion in 2024 and could widen to US$120 billion to US$130 billion in two to three years, driven by rising imports of electronics components, chemical and industrial inputs, the second government source said.

New Delhi was also considering easing Chinese investment curbs case-by-case, where national security risk was minimal, said the official, a senior government adviser, referring to a foreign investment policy that tightened rules for nations sharing land borders with India, mainly China.