Not Just Mobile Phones, India Imports Over 80 Per Cent Raw Materials For Medicines From China

New Delhi: The boycott China movement is boiling in India. With railways and BSNL banning Chinese contracts, here is how much we actually import from China:

Smartphones

The most prominent and visible sector is phones and 75 per cent of smartphones sold in India are made by Chinese companies. Indian companies lost the race when 4G came. However, some Chinese makers such as Xiaomi have seven assembling plants in India and employ thousands.

Electronics

Electronic components such as semiconductors and integrated circuits from China accounts for 67 per cent of imports in that sector. The market size is estimated at Rs 5,300 billion.

Medicines

Over 80 per cent of India’s active pharmaceutical ingredients come from China. For life-saving drugs like cephalosporins, azithromycin and penicillin, the dependence is more than 90 per cent.  $1.8 billion worth of APIs came from China out of the total $2.6 billion imported between April and December of 2019.

Consumer Appliances

45 per cent of consumer durables imported to India are made in China. The sector is valued at around Rs 763 billion. Topping the chart are AC, refrigerators and televisions.

TVs

45 per cent of all smart TVs here are Chinese. Alternatives cost 20-45 per cent more.

Leather

38 per cent of imported leather goods comprising mostly shoes are imported from China. The market size of the industry is Rs 780 billion.

Automobile Components

China accounts for around 18 per cent of automobile components used in India. Recently, Maruti and Bajaj said boycotting China will not be feasible.

Clothes

Synthetic yarn worth $460 million and synthetic fabric worth $360 million are imported from China. Accessories like buttons, hangers, needles and zippers account for $140 million.