Delhi's wholesale markets have become the latest turf for differences between India and China.
Delhi's wholesale markets have become the latest turf for differences between India and China with traders exhorting people to not buy Chinese goods this festive season.
In the light of China's unfavourable signals to India and increased bonhomie with Pakistan, repeated calls for a 'Chinese Boycott' by Indian traders elicited a response from the Chinese Embassy which, in a statement released on Friday, said, "The exports to India accounted for only 2 per cent of China's total exports and India's boycott of Chinese goods will not have much impact on China's exports."
Asserting that any boycott is only likely to harm India, the Chinese Embassy said "The boycott effect will not limit to Diwali related products, but extended to other Chinese products that are not related to the festival. In the long-run, boycott will not only hurt Chinese goods sale, but also cause negative effects to consumers in India."
In Delhi's famous Sarojini Nagar market, a lamp trader when asked if his goods were Indian or Chinese, said, "These are Indian products, ma'am, not Chinese... these are good quality", conveying an intriguing sense of patriotism shared by a number of other traders.
"The country's money should stay here," added another trader, while the Head of the neighbouring Babu Market Traders Association said it was a matter of policy to not buy Chinese goods.
In the same breath some traders guardedly accepted the idea of a 'Chinese boycott', asserting that Chinese goods were, in fact, too deeply embedded in the Indian market. "Most products available in India are Chinese; almost 60% of them", said a local seller of fancy-lights.
"We are still very dependent on Chinese goods in several sectors including electronics", said another trader.
Consumers for their part seemed willing to pay extra for Indian goods in the event of a total Chinese boycott. "It won't be a loss because the money will actually be staying in our country", said a student.
"If we have pay ten rupees more it won't make much of a difference," added a lady customer.
However, the issue of a 'chinese boycott' is far from straight forward. For a large number of traders, the economics of a boycott is outweighed by political and economic concerns.
The existing conditions of traders are challenging. "We will look at an overall loss or profit (from Chinese boycott) later. For the moment, we are only suffering losses, said a vendor who sells plastic flowers in Sarojini Nagar market.