China expresses 'serious concern' over toy ban, other India moves

TRADE WARS

Half of Chinese toy makers wiped out in crisis: report
Nearly half of China's toy makers closed last year due to shrinking exports brought about by the global financial crisis, Chinese media reported Monday. At the start of 2008, China had 8,610 companies that produced and exported toys, but by the end of the year, that number had declined by 49 percent to 4,388, the Beijing Times said, citing customs data. Chinese toy exports grew marginally in 2008 by 1.8 percent to 8.6 billion dollars, but the overall figure masked a dramatically worsening performance towards the end of the year, according to the paper. In November, toy exports declined by 8.6 percent from the same month a year earlier, while December marked a drop of 7.6 percent, the paper said. China's southern province of Guangdong, which produces roughly half of the world's toys, has seen some large-scale factory closures. Smart Union, a Hong Kong-listed maker of products for US giants Mattel and Disney, shut down in October last year, causing 7,000 people to lose their jobs. China's toy industry had already been facing problems before the economic crisis struck. Recalls around the world of dangerous Chinese-made toys severely tarnished the industry's reputation, while rising labour and land costs also caused problems. Adding to the woes, India banned Chinese toy imports in late January for six months, triggering trade tensions between the world's two biggest emerging economies. In reaction, Chinese officials are now deciding whether they should appeal to the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, state media said last week. Overall, China's exports have also been hit hard by the crisis, with shipments abroad declining for the first time in seven years in November and December.

by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) Feb 9, 2009
China on Monday voiced "serious concern" over India's decision to impose a ban on imports of toys and other measures and said the moves threaten to severely affect bilateral trade relations.

"The Chinese government expresses serious concern that the Indian side has imposed... import restrictions in such a short time period," the ministry of commerce said in a statement on its website.

With effect from January 23, the Indian government imposed a ban on Chinese toys for a period of six months.

The Indian government has said the ban on toys was implemented on the grounds of "public health and safety".

But some Indian analysts have suggested the move was aimed at shielding India's struggling toy industry against a flood of Chinese imports.

The Chinese statement said deputy commerce minister Zhong Shan had met in Beijing recently with Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao to discuss the issue.

"China hopes that in a period during which the world economy faces grim challenges, India takes cautious and prudent trade remedy measures, otherwise bilateral trade relations could be seriously impacted," the Chinese statement said.

Apart from the toy ban, the commerce ministry complained India had started 17 trade remedy investigations since October on products from China, including sodium carbonate and automobile tyres.

It has also recently restricted the import of steel, chemical products and textile products from China, the ministry said.

The state-run China Daily reported earlier that Beijing would likely ask the WTO Dispute Settlement Body if the Indian ban violated the trade body's rules.

Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath has denied there are any violations.

"India is a responsible country and before we take any action we make sure that it should be WTO-compatible," Nath said.

The dispute highlights growing protectionist sentiment around the world, with several countries hit by the economic slowdown rushing to protect domestic industries.

India's toy industry, which employs two million people, has long protested about the flood of cheaper Chinese toy imports. Chinese products have grabbed 60 percent of India's toy market.

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TRADE WARS

No 'Buy China' policy: Beijing official

Beijing (AFP) Feb 9, 2009
A senior Chinese official said Monday that Beijing will not implement a "Buy China" policy similar to the "Buy America" clause in a stimulus package making its way through the US legislature.

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