Nirmala Sitharaman Calls Out China On Trade Barriers, Flags Growing India-China Trade Gap

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has raised serious concerns over China's growing trade imbalance with India, accusing Beijing of using non-tariff barriers to restrict market access for Indian products. Speaking in an interview with the Atlantic Council on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in Bangkok, Sitharaman said India has spent nearly a decade seeking better access to Chinese markets, with little progress. She highlighted India's strengths in generic medicines, bovine meat, vegetables and other perishable goods, which have significant export potential in China but continue to face regulatory hurdles. The Finance Minister stressed that India prefers dialogue and negotiations over retaliatory tariffs or countervailing duties, even as the bilateral trade deficit continues to widen. Watch the video to understand India's concerns over China's trade policies, the challenges facing Indian exporters and New Delhi's approach to resolving trade disputes amid global tariff tensions.