Customers in northern India boycott Chinese items ahead of Hindu festivital

T TV Sunday 15/October/2017 12:31 PM
By: Times News Service

The sale of Chinese products in India's northern Gorakhpur city has dropped drastically in the wake of a military standoff between the two nations that ended in August, according to local shopkeepers.
Two months after a military standoff between India and China came to an end along their disputed Himalayan border, nationalist sentiment in India is on the rise.
Many groups across the country have been calling for people to boycott Chinese goods.
The demand seems to have resonated among the masses - Particularly in India's north, as locals prepare for the Hindu festival of lights.
A CUSTOMER, SHYAM NARAYAN, SAYING: "Because of the issue between India and China we've decided that we wont be buying a single Chinese product. We'll only buy Indian products and take our Indian economy forward."
In the lead up to the festival known as Diwali, people across India splurge on electronic goods, decorative lights and lampshades.
But this year shopkeepers in Uttar Pradesh say the sale of Chinese products in local markets has plummeted.
A SHOPKEEPER, RAJU RASTOGI, SAYING: "It's gone down by 70 to 80 per cent. And we are trying to sell the remaining stock so that we generate some revenue which we can use later this year."
And the sentiment here may not be all that unfounded. A survey by an Industry body predicts the sale of Chinese goods during this year's festival could decline by up to 45 per cent across India
.