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.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us Digg Reddit

YahooMyWeb Google Facebook

Related Links
Global Trade News

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

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.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Australian wildfire arsonists face murder charges: police Survivors tell of Australian bushfire horror Mobile phones fight disease, uncover news in developing lands Poland ending Chad, Lebanon, Golan missions: defence minister	CLIMATE SCIENCE China resorts to artillery to fight drought Australian wildfire ferocity linked to climate change: experts China presses for US help on climate change China struggles with drought
EARTH OBSERVATION Raytheon Submits Final Proposal For NOAA's Environmental Satellite Ground Segment NOAA-N Prime Environmental Satellite Launched NASA Satellites Capture Sea Surface Heights Around The World NOAA-N Launch Rescheduled	ENERGY TECH Learn About The US Specialty Fuel Additives Market Stimulus To Drive Wind Expansion NSTAR Sponsors MIT Clean Energy Competition SKorea court limits compensation by Hong Kong tanker
EPIDEMICS China detects no bird flu outbreaks among poultry: UN Blue Light Destroys Antibiotic-Resistant Staph Infection Bill Gates playfully frees swarm of mosquitoes Bird flu poultry outbreaks in China possible: UN	FLORA AND FAUNA Smugglers target Indonesia's rare Javan hawk: official Aggressive African bees dominating in Fa. Boy feared snatched by crocodile in Australian floodwaters Fishy Clue Helps Establish How Proteins Evolve
FROTH AND BUBBLE Syncrude faces fines for duck deaths Pollution preferable to unemployment for Romanian town Vietnam to go ahead with bauxite mines despite opposition China blames pollution as birth defects rise: state media	ABOUT US Famous fossil secretly scanned in Texas Best-selling author backs genies over geniuses Tom Cruise Smile Comes With A Sunburn Price Survival shaped face of human ancestors

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement