Bilateral trade numbers from China, India show rising gap

India's reported imports from China has fallen significantly short of China's export figures

- Rhik Kundu

India-China trade data for 2023 reveals a widening discrepancy, with India's reported imports from China falling significantly short of China's export figures, raising concerns over potential anomalies such as under-invoicing, misclassification, and inconsistent reporting practices.

In 2023, India's merchandise imports from China stood at $99.59 billion, which was 18.2% lower than the $117.68 billion worth of exports reported by China, according to the latest data from the World Bank's World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) and the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence & Statistics (DGCI&S).

The discrepancy stood at 15.5% the previous year, with India's merchandise imports from China valued at $102.63 billion, significantly lower than the $118.50 billion exports reported by China, according to the same data sources.

The magnitude of these discrepancies indicates major anomalies, warranting closer scrutiny of the data reporting mechanisms.