Sharp decline in India's exports to China in H1

Source: PTI

India's exports to China declined by over 24% to $6.89 billion in the first half of this year, while the Communist trading giant's exports surged by 10.8% to $27.29 billion, pushing the bilateral trade to over $34 billion. China's foreign trade volume continued to drop in the first half, slipping further from a 6% decline in the first quarter, but the lacklustre performance was redeemed by the country's exports to India and other Asian nations. India-China bilateral trade registered a 1.1% increase and touched $34.19 billion as India continued to expand the export base for Chinese goods, according to data released by General Administration of Customs (GAC) today. Despite China's promises to address India's concerns over the spiralling trade deficit, Indian exports to the world's second-largest economy continued to decline. Last year, the trade deficit touched $47 billion, out of the $70.59 billion trade. It crossed $20 billion half way this year as Chinese exports went up to $27.29 billion. India looks for a sharp increase in Chinese investments to compensate for the burgeoning trade deficit, while hoping for a pro-active opening for its IT and pharmaceuticals industry. Besides exports to India, China's exports to Southeast Asia and Africa grew by 9.5% and 12.9% respectively in H1. The trade with countries covered by China's Belt and Road Initiative were more robust, as exports to Pakistan, Israel, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia saw an average growth of 17%, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. China's total foreign trade dropped 6.9% year-on-year to 11.53 trillion yuan ($1.89 trillion) in the first six months of 2015, slipping further from a 6% dip in the first quarter adding to China's worries over the slowdown. Exports from China, one of the world's top exporters, rose slightly by 0.9% from a year ago, but imports slumped 15.5%, weighed down by a gloomy global climate and feeble domestic demand. The trade surplus expanded 1.5 times to 1.61 trillion yuan, the data showed.    

July 13, 2015 | 8:07 pm IST.