Lok Sabha Question No. 155 (STARRED), answered on 2022-07-27
Subject: Ban on Chinese Products
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Gopal Chinayya Shetty

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 155 (H) TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 th  JULY, 2022

## BAN ON CHINESE PRODUCTS

## *155(H). SHRI GOPAL CHINNAYA SHETTY:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मं त्री ) be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken/proposes  to  take  any  steps  to  impose  ban  on Chinese products;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

okf.kT; ,oa m|ksx ea=h ( Jh ih;w'k xks;y )

## THE MINISTER OF  COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) to (c):  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a) to (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED    QUESTION    NO.  155(H)      FOR    ANSWER    ON  27 th   JULY,  2022 REGARDING   ' BAN ON CHINESE PRODUCTS'.

(a) to (b): India and China, are both members of the WTO, and any trade restriction imposed must be  WTO  compliant.  Government  has  from  time  to  time  reviewed  and  taken  WTO  compliant measures to address  the  concerns  raised  by  various  stakeholders  to  have  a  holistic  global  trade strategy.

India has not imposed any country specific ban on imports. However, as per the import policy of the Government, all goods imported into India are subject to domestic laws, rules, orders, regulations, technical  specifications,  environment  and  safety  norms  that  are  notified  from  time  to  time  and Government takes appropriate action including ban on goods if these are found to violate these regulations or have implications for national security.

The import policy of Government for goods is 'free' except when regulated by way of 'Prohibition', 'Restriction' and 'Exclusive Trading' through State Trading enterprises (STEs) on the grounds of (i) public morals, (ii) protection of human, animal or plant life and health, (iii) protection of patents and copy rights, (iv) protection of national treasures of artistic, historical and archaeological value, (v) conservation of exhaustible resources; (vi) prevention of trade in fissionable materials, (vii)of traffic in arms , ammunition and implements of war.

The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) is empowered to recommend restrictions on import of a product by  imposition of additional duty or quantitative restrictions (QRs) if Indian industry is 'seriously injured' or 'threatened with injury' on account of surge in imports or unfair trade practices.   Currently, 61 Anti-dumping measures and 4 countervailing duty measures are in force on Chinese products.

Some examples of industry specific measure are as below:

(i) For toys, the Government has issued Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 on 25 Feb 2020 through  which  toys  have  been  brought  under  compulsory  Bureau  of  Indian  Standards  (BIS) certification with effect from 1 Jan 2021. This QCO is equally applicable to domestic manufacturers

as well as foreign manufacturers who intend to export their toys to India. As per this QCO, it is mandatory for toys to conform to Indian standards and bear the standard ISI mark under licence from BIS and no person shall manufacture, import , distribute, sell, hire, lease, store or exhibit for sale any toys without the ISI mark.  This will curb import of substandard toys.

- (ii) Similarly,  compulsory  registration  under  'Electronics  and  IT  Goods  (Requirement  of Compulsory  Registration)  Order  2012'  addresses  safety  standards  for  63  notified  electronic products including mobile phones. The stock, sale, import, manufacture, etc. without having valid Registration and Standard Mark of these items is prohibited.

(iii) In the chemicals and fertilizer sector, the Government has issued the Quality Control Orders (QCO) dated 16.6.2020 whereby  in accordance with  Section 16 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act 2016, 14 chemicals shall conform to the corresponding Indian standards and shall bear the Standard Mark under a licence from the Bureau as per Scheme-I of Schedule-II of the Bureau of Indian Standards (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018.

- (iv)  In the Electrical machinery sector such as Air conditioners, the Government  has issued the Air Conditioner and its related Parts, Hermetic Compressor and Temperature Sensing Controls (Quality Control) Order, 2019, which specifies that specified goods shall conform to the corresponding Indian standards  and  shall  bear  Standard  Mark  under  a  licence  from  the  Bureau  as  per  Scheme  I  of Schedule-II of the Bureau of Indian Standard (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018.

To support and expand domestic capacities, the Government has implemented policies to promote domestic  manufacturing  like  the  Production  Linked  Incentive  (PLI)  Schemes  in  line  with  the Atmanirbhar Bharat policy to reduce dependence on imports, at an estimated outlay of Rs. 1,97,000 cr fully funded by the Central Government covering inter-alia sectors such as drug intermediates and  Active  Pharmaceutical  Ingredients,  medical  devices,  telecom  and  networking  products, automobile and auto components, advance chemistry cell battery, white goods, textile products, specialty steel, drone and drone components, etc. In addition, in order to promote semi conductor industry, the Government has formulated a scheme amounting to Rs. 76,000 cr.

(c): Does not arise in view of (a) and (b) above.

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