India may go beyond China to cut cheap shipments

New Delhi: India is drawing up a strategy to curb cheap imports from any source and not just China in order to achieve its self-reliance goals, a senior government official told ET. Toward this end, the government is drawing up short-term, medium-term and long-term plans, he said.

In the short term, it could opt for non-tariff barriers such as nominating a specific port for a category of goods or mandating prior approval for select products, such as licensing requirements. Tariffs could also be raised where possible to impose a comprehensive deterrent on the import of cheap or non-essentials.

In the medium term, free trade agreements (FTAs) will be reviewed to bring about a balance in trade and put more effective rules of origin in place.