India is open to Chinese suppliers meeting its growing import needs, even as it will act through established legal process against any unfair pricing, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday in The Hague, PTI reported. Goyal expressed hope that India will become a major exporter to China and the ASEAN region in the coming years.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine

"They (China) are also providing us important intermediate goods, important raw materials. If in any particular product, we find that the fair play or pricing is not proper, then there's an established judicial process, which is conducted. Other than that, we believe in the rules of fair play; we believe in the rules of open trade ... we welcome suppliers to meet the growing needs of India," Goyal told reporters, according to PTI. He was replying to a question on India-China trade relations and was in The Hague on a two-day official visit.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine

$151.09 billionIndia-China bilateral trade in 2025-26, as reported citing Commerce Ministry data
$131.62 billionIndia's imports from China in 2025-26
$112.14 billionIndia's trade deficit with China in 2025-26
$91.76 billionBilateral trade in April-September 2026-27, up about 29% year on year, as reported

"We are looking to open markets in different countries on a reciprocal basis for our goods and services. And I do hope that in the years to come, we will see India becoming a major exporter of goods and services to China and the ASEAN region also," Goyal said, Outlook Business reported in its account of the same remarks. ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Source: Outlook Business

Meetings with his Chinese counterpart

Goyal said he had held meetings with his Chinese counterpart in Yaounde, Cameroon, and in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, and added that India was open to promoting free and fair trade with every country, PTI reported.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine

The trade figures underline why the balance matters: bilateral trade stood at $151.09 billion in 2025-26, comprising imports of $131.62 billion from China and a trade deficit of $112.14 billion, according to Commerce Ministry data cited in reports of Goyal's remarks. During April-September of this fiscal year, bilateral trade rose about 29% to $91.76 billion, making China India's largest trading partner in the first half of 2026-27, Outlook Business reported, citing the latest Commerce Ministry data.