Anand Sharma Raises Trade Imbalance with Chinese Trade Minister

India China to Push for Food Security Proposal at Bali WTO Ministerial

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Anand Sharma had a bilateral exchange of views with the Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng today during his visit to Brunei where he is attending several ministerial meetings on Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, East Asian Economic Ministers Meeting and the ASEAN-India Ministerial meeting. This was the first meeting of the two ministers after the visit of the Chinese Prime Minister to India in June.

Ministers followed up their discussion with a view to plan for the next meeting of the Joint Economic Group likely to be scheduled in late October this year in Beijing. The Commerce and Industry Minister informed the Chinese Minister about India’s preparedness for further engagements in the three working groups constituted during the Prime Ministerial Meeting earlier this year. The working group on the trade and economic cooperation is mandated to prepare an action oriented work plan for improving India’s trade imbalance with China. Shri Sharma specially drew the Chinese Minister’s attention to India’s pending request for facilitating Indian exports of Pharmaceuticals, Agricultural products, Buffalo meat and Information Technology services. He was assured by his counterpart that China would make every effort to facilitate imports from India for bridging trade imbalance. They agreed that the working group should meet in September for further work. They also agreed that the other two working groups on Trade in Services and Trade Statistics should also meet in September with a view to implement the decisions of their leaders. The Indian minister sought Chinese investment in manufacturing in the National Manufacturing Investment Zones. China showed special interest in infrastructure, Power and Capital Goods manufacturing. They will finalize the details of such understanding during their next meeting in October. In the last JEG Meeting with China on 27th August 2012 in New Delhi, Shri Sharma had handed over to the Chinese Minister of Commerce the roadmap for enhanced cooperation between India and China in IT& ITeS and the pharmaceuticals sector. If implemented, it would surely be helpful in bringing down the trade deficit with China. “A favourable action in the matter is needed from Chinese side. India and China have many complementarities in these sectors particularly in IT and ITeS sector and the Pharmaceutical sector. Joining hands in these sectors would prove a win-win situation for both the countries” said Shri Sharma.

The minister also exchanged views on the state of negotiations on the Doha Round for the Ministerial meeting in Bali. They both agreed that they would like to see Trade facilitation, Proposal regarding Food Security and the development package to be harvested in Bali. They shared their common views on their strong requirement to see the food security proposal accepted in the Bali ministerial.

During January- June 2013 India’s export to china stood at USD 5.42 billion whereas imports were USD 24.70 Billion.

Trade imbalance prompted bilateral talks to seek export facilitation, investment in manufacturing, and coordinated support for a food security proposal. A bilateral economic dialogue targeted a trade imbalance by directing three working groups to meet and by tasking the trade and economic cooperation group to prepare an action plan to improve India's trade position; India sought facilitation of exports in pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, buffalo meat and IT services while China signalled willingness to facilitate imports and consider investment in National Manufacturing Investment Zones with interest in infrastructure, power and capital goods manufacturing.