New Delhi: Despite India’s high dependence on China in many key segments such as electrical machinery and appliances, around 43 per cent of consumers in the country did not buy any Chinese products in the last twelve months, reveals a survey conducted by Noida-based online survey platform LocalCircles. The results of the survey, which was conducted to assess consumer behaviour a year after the clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan valley, further revealed that buying low cost Chinese products was not a choice but the only option for households amid falling incomes due to Covid-19-induced lockdowns.
Anti-China sentiment
Post the attack on Indian soldiers in the Galwan valley, many Indians had expressed their intent to boycott Chinese-made products and social media was abuzz with #BoycottChina and #BoycottChineseprodcucts hashtags. The Government also acted tough against the erring social media platforms and banned over 100 China-based apps like Tik Tok, Shein, Club Factory, and AliExpress for misusing sensitive Indian data. According to the survey results, this anti-China sentiment had also been reflected in consumer behaviour.
“43 per cent Indian consumers did not buy any made in China product in the last 12 months. India depends on China in many key industries from electrical machinery, appliances to pharmaceutical drugs,” said the survey results reviewed by ETV Bharat. The survey, which received nearly 18,000 responses from consumers located in 281 districts of India, further said that out of those Indian consumers who purchased made in China products in the last 12 months, 60 per cent bought only 1-2 items.
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On the question of why Indian consumers opted for Chinese products in the first place, the survey revealed that Covid-19 pandemic and China’s ability to produce low cost products played a major role. “With most of that year being induced by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, household earnings were severely impacted, and for some buying the lowest cost product was not a choice but the only option and hence they ended up buying Chinese items,” said the survey.
It must be kept in mind that there are many Made in China products that do not have an Indian counterpart that offer similar or higher value-quality-uniqueness combinations, it added.
Surge in imports from China due to pandemic
In 2020, India’s trade with China declined by 5.6 per cent to USD 87.6 billion. However, the bilateral trade data for January-May 2021 showed a 42 per cent increase in Chinese imports by value. According to the LocalCircles research, this surge was particularly due to the rise in import of life-saving medical equipment and medical oxygen equipment from China.
“The research suggests that this surge was particularly due to the rise in import of life-saving medical equipment and medical oxygen equipment by India from China as COVID-19 cases surged in the country,” said the report. In fact, according to the survey, 90 per cent of pulse oximeters available in India are Made in China.
