Can India afford to boycott Chinese products?

Published: June 26, 2020, 4 p.m.

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In India, there have been growing calls to boycott Chinese goods. The two countries were recently involved in one of their deadliest border clashes in over 50 years, which left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

Now anti-China sentiments are gaining momentum within India. And so are calls for a boycott of Chinese goods. The expectation is that trade sanctions can inflict far greater injury on China, as India imports Chinese goods worth nearly $80 billion - far more than its exports at around $20 billion.

But is it easier said than done? China remains India\\u2019s largest trading partner in goods. Chinese companies have invested billions of dollars in Indian startups, and Indian companies depend heavily on Chinese imports.

So, will a boycott serve India\\u2019s interest? In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss whether India can really afford to boycott Chinese products.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Sulajja Firodia Motwani, vice chairperson, Kinetic Engineering, founder & CEO, Kinetic Green Energy & Power Solutions Limited; Nikhil Pahwa, digital policy expert & founder, Medianama; Sonam Wangchuk, inventor, education reformer

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