New Delhi
The government Monday banned the import of electronic items, mobile phones, milk and milk products and some steel products from China.
Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha that India has banned import of these items from China over quality concerns.
Mobile phones not bearing the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity number or other security features cannot be imported from China.
"Complete ban of import from any country is not possible now due to WTO rules even if we have problems diplomatically, territorially or militarily," Sitharaman told the lower house.
The Minister said India's trade deficit with China stood at $48.68 billion during 2015-16 (April-February) and the total bilateral trade was $65.16 billion during the period.
"Increasing trade deficit with China can be attributed primarily to the fact that Chinese exports to India rely strongly on manufactured items to meet the demand of fast expanding sectors like telecom and power, while India's exports to China are characterised by primarily and intermediate products," she said.
