After 11 yrs of on & off talks, India &Australia finally signed phase 1 of ECTA to allow greater flow of goods & services, reducing Canberra’s dependence on Chinese goods.
Estimates of online sales of smartphones show Indians primarily shopped from five brands this October, including 4 Chinese companies Xiaomi, Vivo, realme and Oppo.
A group of ministers set up to promote Indian manufacturing has flagged various ways through which Chinese goods are evading duties and other restrictions.
According to a survey by LocalCircles, only 29 per cent respondents bought Chinese products this year, which is a 19% decline compared to the purchases made last year.
The decision to stop sale of imported goods in canteen store departments is part of efforts to promote local goods. Defence sources say sale of foreign liquor also may follow.
Micromax is the only homegrown company that broke into India’s Chinese dominated smartphone market. But no one came to its rescue when it was in trouble.
Chinese-origin Kenbo bikes are mostly brought to Mizoram from across the border in Myanmar, with law enforcement agencies claiming they are mostly used for smuggling.
The US has been pushing foreign companies to move supply chains out of China, and publicly floated the need for a group of friendly Asian nations that could help produce essential goods.
While global corporations setting up GCCs in India continue to express confidence in availability of skilled AI engineers, the panel argued that India’s real challenge lies elsewhere.
Taylor ‘Fema’ Hiester, commander of USAF F-16 Viper Demo Team, hit out at air show organisers for continuing with the show after Wing Commander Namansh Syal lost his life in the incident.
It is a brilliant, reasonably priced, and mostly homemade aircraft with a stellar safety record; only two crashes in 24 years since its first flight. But its crash is a moment of introspection.
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