Arvind Virmani, a member of Niti Aayog, suggested that India should encourage Chinese firms to invest and manufacture goods locally rather than continuing to import them. His comments followed a pitch from the pre-budget Economic Survey on July 22, which proposed attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) from China to boost local manufacturing and enhance the export market.

Virmani explained that if India is going to import goods from China for the next decade or more, it would be more beneficial to have Chinese companies establish operations in India and produce these goods domestically. This strategy, he noted, would align with the broader economic trade-offs.

With the US and Europe moving away from sourcing directly from China, Virmani argued that having Chinese companies invest in India could help the country tap into these markets more effectively. The Economic Survey emphasised that focusing on FDI rather than solely relying on trade could be a promising approach for boosting India?s exports, similar to strategies used by East Asian economies.

China is currently India's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade amounting to $118.4 billion in the fiscal year 2023-24. However, India has seen minimal FDI from China, which holds only a 0.37% share of the total FDI inflow. Tensions between the two nations, particularly after the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, have impacted their economic relations. Despite these tensions, trade has continued to grow, with India's exports to China rising by 8.7% to $16.67 billion last fiscal year, while imports increased to $101.7 billion, widening the trade deficit to $85 billion.

Virmani believes that focusing on Chinese investment could be more advantageous for India than relying on imports, helping the country to better integrate into global supply chains and reduce its trade deficit.

(ET)