India bans import of mobile phones, steel and milk products from China

NEW DELHI: The Indian government on Monday banned the import of electronic items, mobile phones, milk, milk products and some steel products from China.

Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha that India had banned import of these items from China due to concerns over the quality of the products.

“A complete ban of import from any country is not possible due to WTO rules even if we have problems diplomatically, territorially or militarily,” Sitharaman said as she addressed the lower house.

India's trade deficit with China stood at USD 48.68 billion during 2015-16 (April-February) and the total bilateral trade was USD 65.16 billion during the period, she said.

“Increasing trade deficit with China can be attributed primarily to the fact that Chinese exports to India rely strongly on manufactured items to meet the demand of fast expanding sectors like telecom and power, while India's exports to China are characterised by primarily and intermediate products," she said