The war-like situation at the Indo-China border has impacted the sale of Chinese goods such as toys, electronic items and electrical goods in the market. Traders in the city, attribute it to the strong sentiment among the general public against Chinese products.
Posts by netizens are flooding social media asking Indians to stop buying Chinese products to cripple its economy. They say that China earns crores of rupees through apps such as Zoom, Tik Tok and Shareit that have become increasingly popular in India. Consumers should preferably use Indian products or those of any other country except China, they say.
“We have already deleted Chinese apps, now it is your turn to show your patriotism and to avenge the killing of our jawans,” the social media posts say.
Most of the traders justify the public mood, but some wonder whether the Government of India can ensure assured supply of similar products of Indian-make or from other countries at same prices. They opine that the high taxation in India places these products out of the reach of the common man.
‘Hostile moves’
“A simple thing like a door sensor, which is made available at as low as ₹30 by Chinese manufacturers, is sold at 10 to 20 times that cost by Indian manufacturers. But, for the Chinese electronic toys like battery-operated cars and bikes, the lower middle class children would have been deprived of enjoying these simple toys,” a trader dealing in Chinese goods told The Hindu on condition of anonymity.
Most of the traders, however, say they have stopped procuring Chinese goods and would stop selling them once the existing stocks are exhausted.
“No country, including China, can afford to go for war at this juncture in view of the economic crisis due to COVID-19. China fears transfer of investments to India as the US and most of the European countries have turned against it accusing it of mishandling the pandemic. China has befriended our neighbours such as Sri Lanka and Nepal to hold out threats to India from all sides. The public outrage and Indian citizens boycotting Chinese goods will send a strong message to the Chinese government,” avers V. Sreemannarayana Murthy, an assistant professor in the Centre for SAARC Studies, Andhra University.
“Chinese goods have become indispensable for India. We are dependent on China for raw materials. But, they are indulging in dumping of their products on India. India imposes anti-dumping duties occasionally. The Government of India took a tough stand on Doklam by threatening to withdraw the crude oil contract with China, and forced them to retreat,” he says.
