India is the second most populated country in the world after China but still, the poverty rate of China is dropping down faster than that of India. From supplying raw materials to investing in India’s startups, China is the biggest trading partner of India after the USA. Moreover, India imports from China nearly seven times more than it exports to that country. Top imports to China includes computers, broadcasting equipment, cellular wireless phone, integrated circuits, semiconductor devices, tuberculosis and leprosy medications, and many more things which are used on a daily basis.
After the violent face-off with China troops in Ladakh’s Galwan valley in which our 20 brave soldiers died for their country, necessarily protestors came forward to amputate the trade ties of the country with China. Here, a question popped up in itself that whether India can afford to boycott Chinese products when our economy is continuously dropping down due to pandemic. Thus even if we wanted to, keep China out of our basic lives instantly, this would be practically impossible.
“The future depends on what you do today” – Mahatma Gandhi
Quoting this here, as the only feasible way to boycott Chinese products is to implement an import-substitution method and to find an alternative to those products. India had faced many problems due to this novel coronavirus but still many commercial sectors of the country are doing their part to earn profit and even working for the welfare of the people to their potential.
Textile Industry of the country had to close down because of the pandemic, but even in this tough time they looked out for an opportunity and started making Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit and today India makes 450, 000 kits per day. India has become the world’s second-largest supplier of medical personal protective equipment (PPE) after China. Consequently, by 2025 the industry will gain profit to 60 billion Dollars.
Secondly, when India was scrambling to get enough supply of hand sanitizers then tribal women of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh has started manufacturing the organic hand sanitizers with the help of liquid of Mahua (Madhuca Longifolia) flowers. These are just an example to show that everything has its own alternative as there was a shortage of ethanol so women of the village started to make their own. Hence, people can stop using Chinese products steadily but not instantly.
If people who are working with foreign companies and will start investing in their own country to create alternatives that we are currently importing from China, this will lead to a substantial reallocation of our resources from efficient to inefficient uses. The range of products that would be available to the consumer as a choice would decrease but Indian companies need to work harder and this will require more patience from the side of consumers to improve their service to compete for their product quality with that of China.
Before Galwan valley violent clash, PM Narendra Modi also addressed people by saying “vocal about local” because local suppliers of the country have met the basics demands of the people even during this pandemic by their contribution, this was a direct hint by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep distancing from the Chinese products aiming to make a country self-reliant or Atamnirbhar.
So, let’s seize the opportunity before it’s too late.
In this global crisis of coronavirus outbreak many foreign companies based in China want to move out and are making steps to come to India. Not one or two companies, around 1000 companies who belong to industries like mobiles, medical facilities, electronics are trying to reach out to the country and even discussion has been made by them at various levels. Likewise, Tech giant Apple Company is planning to shift its one-fifth of the production to India from China.
It is very much true that the trade deficit between China and the USA is very huge because India exports $2.5 billion and imports more than $50 billion from China. Moreover, people of our country believe that Chinese products are much cheaper than Indian counterparts. When it comes to raw materials such as steel, iron, and minerals, a complete boycott is not possible. All that is possible is to import these products from another country. But the same condition may be seen as China will start exporting these products at high rates to other countries which won’t make sense, consequently India will make their own loss.
As being aware of the fact that India is lacking behind in infrastructure, electricity, and skilled labor as compared to China but all we have is untapped energy and potential. So being in the bottom line, companies need to work hard to tussle with China. As said by the President of China Xi Jinping-
“Great historical progress always happens after major disasters”
Country can boycott Chinese products but this will take time. Sounding ironical but by uninstalling Chinese apps by Made in China phone does not make any sense. Moreover making country self- reliance all we need is demography which will serve as a source of energy, demand that will boost our economy and infrastructure which will act as a symbol which will require hard work and dedication.
REFERENCES:
- We can boycott China, but at what cost?, Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/we-can-boycott-china-but-at-what-cost/articleshow/76477740.cms
- A Citizen’s Guide To The Hows And Whys Of Boycotting Chinese Products, Swarajya, By R Jagannathan.
- https://m.economictimes.com/tech/hardware/why-apples-upcoming-first-india-store-is-making-news/articleshow/74330404.cms#:~:text=Apple%20CEO%20Tim%20Cook%20has,based%20company’s%20India%20business%20model.
- A quick guide to the US-China trade war, BBC news,https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45899310.
- https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/news/india/chhattisgarh-hand-sanitizer-developed-from-mahua-spirit/articleshow/75326479.cms.
