India-China trade talks as Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami meets Chinese commerce official

Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami met a senior Chinese Commerce Ministry official on Monday. The talks focused on trade matters and wider commercial cooperation between India and China. The meeting took place as both sides worked to steady ties after the 2020 Eastern Ladakh conflict.

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Trade remained a major part of the relationship, even during political strain. In 2025-26, China became India’s biggest trading partner, moving ahead of the US. Official Indian Commerce Ministry data showed bilateral trade at USD 151.1 billion, while India’s deficit with Beijing rose to record levels.

India-China trade and commerce figures

India’s exports to China increased 36.66 per cent in the last fiscal year. Exports reached USD 19.47 billion, as per the Indian Commerce Ministry. Imports also rose, up 16 per cent to USD 131.63 billion. As a result, the trade gap widened further during 2025-26.

Data showed the trade deficit climbed to an all-time high of USD 112.6 billion in 2025-26. This compared with USD 99.2 billion in 2024-25. The figures underlined a continuing imbalance in the India-China trading relationship, even as overall trade volumes stayed strong.

India-China trade and commerce talks in Beijing

Ambassador Doraiswami met Wang Liping, Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Commerce of China. The Indian Embassy described the interaction in a post on X. "They exchanged views on various aspects of trade and commercial cooperation, including the bilateral dialogue mechanisms and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. They agreed to remain in touch,\" the post said.

India has long urged China to provide better market access in key sectors. These included IT services, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, where India has strengths. The latest meeting was expected to support more dialogue on trade and commerce issues between the two sides.

India-China trade and commerce amid normalising ties

India and China have been restoring parts of the relationship after ties froze in 2020. Both sides have restarted the Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra and resumed visas and flights. A high-level dialogue mechanism has also returned, alongside efforts to keep channels open on economic cooperation.

With inputs from PTI