Indians continued to buy Chinese products, as a new survey found the percentage of consumers buying one or more 'Made in China' item has risen from 55% to 62% in the last 12 months.
Gadgets and electronic and mobile accessories are the top category in which Indians continue to buy Chinese products, according to a survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform.
Moreover, two in 10 respondents also have Chinese apps on their phones, including the popular generative AI app DeepSeek. Notably, since 2020, the Indian government has banned dozens of Chinese apps and issued memos advising against Deepseek usage by government employees.
The findings from the survey come amid India's widening trade deficit with its northern neighbour. From 2019 to 2024, India's exports to China have stagnated at around $16 billion annually, while imports from China have surged from $70.3 billion in 2018-19 to over $101 billion in 2023-24, resulting in a cumulative trade deficit exceeding $387 billion over five years.
The survey also found that 15% of Indians are likely to purchase goods made by Chinese companies in partnership with Indian firms. As Chinese companies seek new markets amid lost US volumes, many Indian companies may partner with them to bring these products to India.
This indicates that if the US-China tariff tussle continues and India experiences an influx of Chinese goods, some consumers are likely to buy them, the LocalCircles report said.
LocalCircles conducted the national survey to study the prevalence of buying 'Made in China' goods and apps by Indians. The survey received over 39,000 responses from consumers located in 387 districts of India.
The firm said it would escalate findings to key stakeholders in the government "so these datapoints can be utilised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology as they determine their approach on Made in China goods and services."
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