The Indian government has made another move: to restrict the import of Chinese power equipment.
[Global Network Reporter Zhu Mengying] From the sudden termination of commercial cooperation to the establishment of customs barriers, to the boycott of Chinese products and the ban on mobile phone applications developed by Chinese companies, India’s “full-scale retaliation” against China continues. According to Reuters news on the 3rd, the Indian Ministry of Electric Power issued new regulations today, requiring Indian companies to import power equipment and components from China will need to obtain government permission.
Reuters: Under tension, India seeks to contain Chinese power equipment
According to reports, the Indian Ministry of Electric Power said in an order that India will examine products related to power supply imported by all countries, including China, to see if they pose a cyber threat. "It is very important and critical to protect power supply systems and networks strategically. Safety, integrity and reliability".
The Indian NDTV television station said that the Indian government will check whether there are "any embedded malware, Trojan horses, cyber threats, and compliance with Indian standards."
Not only did it introduce new regulations against Chinese companies, but India’s Minister of Electricity Singh also announced on the 3rd that when meeting energy officials from various states, “We have decided not to allow any (electricity) equipment to be imported from China and Pakistan.”
NDTV in India: Minister said that it is forbidden to import any power equipment from China, talking about "Trojan horse"
"Among them (electrical equipment) may be malware or Trojan horses, which can be activated remotely (paralyzing our electric power system). We will not allow you (states) to import anything (electrical equipment) from China and Pakistan." Xin Grid also declared so.
In fact, India's dependence on Chinese power products is not low. Singh said on the same day that in the fiscal year 2018 to 2019, the total imports of the Indian power sector were 710 billion rupees, of which 210 billion rupees (about 2.8 billion US dollars) came from China, saying "this is intolerable."
In addition, when Reuters reported the Indian government's move, it also caught a pot of cold water. According to reports, India has long relied on Chinese equipment for power generation and transmission, providing electricity at affordable prices. Although this new regulation will benefit Indian companies, in the long run, this may also lead to higher domestic electricity prices in India.
Since the situation in the border area between China and India has become tense due to the confrontation and violent conflict between the two sides, India has been constantly recruiting "anti-China". On July 1, the Indian Ministry of Highway, Transport and Transportation also announced that it would prohibit any Chinese company or a joint venture with a Chinese company from participating in road construction projects.
In response to India’s frequent violations of market rules and the successive introduction of a series of discriminatory and unreasonable policies that restrict Chinese companies, the Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng responded on July 2 that the Indian practices violated the relevant WTO rules and regulations. Fang’s commitment in the WTO hopes that India will immediately correct the discriminatory practices against China and Chinese companies.