Despite initial dip in shipments, officials maintain heightened surveillance to avoid import surges post-US tariffs
India is closely monitoring electronics imports from China and ASEAN nations amid concerns of a potential surge following recent global tariff actions. However, the latest trade data offers temporary reassurance. Chinese electronics exports to both India and the US fell in January and February, with no significant uptick noted in subsequent weeks, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Following former US President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs in late January, Chinese shipments of top electronics items to the US dropped from $10 billion in January to $6 billion in February. Analysts attribute this partly to front-loaded exports. In India, the value of China’s top 10 electronics exports remained unchanged at $1.8 billion over the same two-month span.
China remains India’s largest source of imports across sectors, contributing to a $100 billion trade deficit in the last fiscal year. Electronics, chemicals, steel, and consumer goods top the list of monitored categories. A high-level government panel—comprising officials from commerce, industry, and finance ministries—has been established to track shipment trends and counter any surge via timely interventions.
Top Chinese electronics exports to India held steady at $1.8 billion in Jan–Feb; US imports halved during the same period.
The panel’s formation follows industry concerns that ASEAN nations, often seen as proxies for China, might become backdoor channels for increased imports, especially as China redirects goods from the US market. “Monitoring is ongoing, but no major increase has been observed so far,” said an official, cautioning that tariff impacts may become visible only after a few months.
Meanwhile, small-scale manufacturers have pushed back against the alarm raised by larger players. For example, they allege steel majors exaggerated fears of Chinese steel flooding the market to secure a 12% safeguard duty—only to hike domestic prices afterward. These stakeholders argue that with strict BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) requirements in place, large-scale imports of Chinese steel remain unlikely.