India had tightened physical checks on imports from China, leading to delays in the clearance of Chinese products and goods, which has caused a lot of clogging on the ports and freight stations in the south Asian nation.Instead of the usual random checks of imported cargoes, the Indian customs authorities began subjecting all Chinese imports to full physical scrutiny on 22 June, bringing clearances to a halt until 2 July.“Ports are now clearing consignments without full physical checking. It could take us around seven days to clear all the shipments that have come in until 30 June,” an official at the Chennai Port said.The recent full physical checks as well as ongoing antidumping probes on Chinese goods are among measures being undertaken by India to reduce its import dependence on China, government and industry sources said.In April 2019-February 2020, India’s total imports from China stood at $62.4bn, bringing the south Asian country’s trade deficit with its northeast Asian neighbour at $46.8bn. China is the largest source of Indian imports during the 11-month period, accounting for 14.3% of the total, followed by the US with a 7.5% share. Imports of organic chemicals from China stood at $7.53bn, while those of plastics totalled $2.58bn for the period.
