Trade with India jumped by over 70% in 2021, shows China’s customs data

Spurred to an extent by India importing medical goods from China to combat the deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, trade between the two neighbours soared by more than 70% year-on-year to over $48 billion in the first five months of 2021, China’s customs data showed on Monday.

Calling it a “spectacular growth”, Chinese state media interpreted the increase in bilateral trade as a sign of resilience in trade ties between the two nations despite conflict at the border and political differences.

“Trade between China and India soared 70.1% in US dollar terms in the first five months of this year to $48.16 billion, according to Chinese customs data released on Monday. Specifically, Chinese exports to India grew 64.1% year-on-year from January to May, while imports surged 90.2%,” the tabloid Global Times reported.

The India-China trade volume was higher than the trade that Beijing conducted with other trading partners, the report said.

The latest statistics were released by China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Monday.

As per data available in China, the rise in trade, specifically Chinese exports to India, rose sharply between April and May.