PAK ,CHINA & THE ‘BANS’: Patriotism vs Economics

An era of prolonged patience eventually  came to a halt with a befitting reply 

Some heavily guarded and spirited ‘men in uniform’ knocked it out.The guns were in action again, this time, more fiercely…for the long awaited’ revenge’. Hell broke lose on the other side of the border. And the nation gripped by a sense of helplessness was  charged with’ patriotic fervor’, overnight.

A clear message to the ‘not so friendly’ neighborhood’ had been delivered and, of course, to the super powers of the world. And then followed the obvious aftermaths of India’s lethal response. Reactions poured in as ‘torrential rains’.

The word ‘ban’ was omnipresent. And  then came the electrifying response to it….barring a few intellectuals. The ‘eye to eye’ & ‘tooth for a tooth’ proverb was evident with a series of ban called for by an aggravated bunch of  patriots. The guest artistes  felt the pinch. Fawad Khan making the first exit and the elite class of the conventional cinema kept fuming. Well we do admire them , but for now they can leave. We have enough talent in our own land.

The conspiring neighbor, exhibiting no remorse as usual, hastily retaliated. Banning of Bollywood movies & Indian premier channels didn’t come as  a surprise.What else can u expect from a nation that has an extravagant budget for its defense than welfare. And the shielded Let chief Hafiz Saeed too,  growled, “we don’t need potatoes & onions from India”. Do we really care when such dogs howl?

Both the nuclear powers are at tenter heads.The friction between New Delhi and Islamabad may have escalated, however, scores will not be leveled.

The sentiment is rising and for apt reasons but the underlying reality hasn’t yet transpired in the public arena. It is the ‘patrionomics’ that makes all the difference. Why do you think India will probably never impose a blanket ban on its trade ties with Pakistan?

Similar euphoria is gaining momentum with ‘banning’ Chinese products coinciding with the already high state of aggression against Pakistan.

Well here are the statistics & the probable answers.

Higher Indian exports to Pakistan

Everything comes at a price .The bilateral trade between both the nations is estimated at $2 billion annually. India exports much more than it imports from the other side. A whopping $2.17 billion of exports in 2015- 16 and the imports were below $500 million. So its ‘we‘ who will suffer a dent in our export revenue…as per the analysis from the trade pundits.

Moreover, the terror saga never really made matters worse  and the trade went smoothly, even after the Parliament & the Mumbai attacks.Only partial sanctions were imposed and trade continued through the sea route. Liberalization on the business front for the sake of peace with our ‘enemy’ progressed, with the latter bringing down the number of banned Indian goods, and India minimizing  duties on their products.

The bilateral trade, although, accounting for less than half a percent of India’s total global trade; it is less likely that the decision makers will do away or entirely scrap the business ties.

So, you can continue flaunting the Pakistani lawn & prints and relish their pickles & spices.

Ban on Chinese goods not possible due to WTO rules 

 The moment the ‘dragon ‘ announced its plan of building a dam over Brahmaputra inside its territory, the patriotic brigade once again trolled with ‘ban Chinese goods’ campaign. As if all this while they were waiting for China to give us a reason.

Yes, the whimpers are gaining momentum. The hue & cry over picking up make in India over its Chinese counterparts, for  Diwali ,is gradually soaring.  Indeed, the Chinese firecrackers will not add to the sparkle of the festive spirit in the capital as the Environment ministry imposes a  complete ban on them across Delhi, labeling them unsafe and hazardous for public health. As if the made in India  ones are highly eco-friendly. And by the way they will still be smuggled and available anyways.
However, the recurrent pleading messages asking to opt for Indian decorative lights and boycotting the Chinese ones, that the markets are flooded with around this time, made me further inquisitive, when a friend mocked on social media, “Thankfully i have an American cellphone , since we are supposed to throw away all our Chinese products before Diwali. Why doesn’t the government ban them when they wish to patronize the Indian goods?”

The arrow is sharply pointed towards the figures touching $65.16 billion worth of bilateral trade with China and to highlight, its the increasing trade deficit, which too, makes us have two thoughts. The govt clearly puts forth the situation, “it is not possible now to ban Chinese products due to World Trade Organization rules even if we have diplomatic, territorial or military conflict with them”.
Anyways, the swadeshi in us had died down long back when we heartily embraced the foreign products in the wake of economic liberalization, way back in the early 90’s.

The made in China tag hangs over a major chunk of essential commodities including apparels, footwear,cosmetics, furniture, plastic toys, decorative items, sports equipments, car accessories, electrical, iron & steel machinery, power generation equipment and even your vehicles ,be it public or private .

Not only we have unknowingly become addicts of the Chinese intrusion, but India , too, lacks the manufacturing base to feed the ever increasing demand of its fast growing upward population. Further, banning the imports will be directly proportional to ‘smugglers making the moolah’ and the govt getting robbed of its revenue. ( Similarly why they cant ban liquor & cigarettes stringently)

So, for a tit for a tat response to the dragon isn’t a viable option.

Chinese goods have definitely elevated our lifestyles. Isn’t it?  High on technology,design, variety (may be low on  quality) and pocket friendly ..its simply hard to avoid.  And if u are still assessing  weather  being patriotic and patronizing Indian items is a good idea  over the foreign labels.. at the end of the day it is your call.  Instead of propagating and forwarding the ‘ban campaign’ messages in bulk, do the needful . Consumer rejection can probably be a game changer. The question is are u ready for it?