CHINA regained its position as India’s top trade partner in 2020, as New Delhi’s reliance on imported machines outweighed its efforts to curb commerce with its neighbor after a bloody border conflict.

Two-way trade between the two countries stood at US$77.7 billion last year, according to provisional data from India’s commerce ministry.

Although that was lower than the previous year’s US$85.5 billion total, it was enough to make China the largest commercial partner, displacing the United States — bilateral trade with whom came in at US$75.9 billion amid muted demand for goods in the middle of a pandemic.

While India banned hundreds of Chinese apps, slowed approvals for investments from the neighbor and called for self-reliance after a deadly clash along the Himalayan border, India continues to rely heavily on Chinese-made heavy machinery, telecom equipment and home appliances. As a result, the bilateral trade gap with China was at almost US$40 billion in 2020, making it India’s largest.

Total imports from China at US$58.7 billion were more than India’s combined purchases from the United States and the United Arab Emirates, which are its second and third-largest trade partners, respectively. (SD-Agencies)