Jaishankar’s solution to Chinese imports

External Affairs minister S Jaishankar has a solution to fight the popularity of Chinese goods in India. Did he get it right?

Transcript

00:00Atmanarvar Bharat is also about overcoming the colonial mentality that somewhere something better is made.

00:08It doesn't have to be made outside to be better. I do not get into Indian politics when I go abroad.

00:14You want to ask me that question, you come and ask me in India. I'll be very happy to answer.

00:18Big issue from China because we lot of goods using very very 10 rupees 20 rupees maximum Indian people using Chinese products.

00:34Because right now Modiji implemented make in India system very very nice system.

00:40How we can stop our Indian people mentality to avoid Chinese products.

00:46Look what happened after the 1990s was we opened our economy and which was the right thing to do.

00:56Because at that time there was too much state control. Our economy was not competitive. It was important.

01:04We dealt more with the world. All of that was very good. But what happened in India was that business houses

01:14when the economy opened up they were naturally what are business people most concerned about.

01:20They are concerned about you know making profits, having a good supply system.

01:27So you had a situation where in order to build their own businesses in India we started importing more and more from other countries.

01:41Now if you contrast this not only with China if you look at Korea you look at Japan I'm giving those as some examples.

01:51These countries built up their economy not just by having big business but also having a supply chain within the country.

02:03So what would happen is that businesses in these countries would mainly rely on components produced there,

02:11raw materials produced there, you know vendors who are from their own economy.

02:17So our challenge after 25 years of economic reform was the kind of support that the SME,

02:27small and medium enterprises should have got in India. The kind of supply chains that we should build in India.

02:34We did not build or we did not build enough. So you know you ask how do you import less.

02:42To me it's not only from China. Though China is the biggest exporter I mean or importer where we are concerned.

02:51You know you have to give people an alternative. It will happen when there are good Indian products,

02:57which are available competitively and this is possible. The entire, what is Atman Nirbhar Bharat about?

03:03You know I was, you asked this colonial mentality question. Atman Nirbhar Bharat is also about overcoming the colonial mentality.

03:15That somewhere something better is made. It doesn't have to be made outside to be better.

03:21It can be made in India and be equally good, maybe even better.

03:25In India for the political, the party is different but we should everybody as Indian.

03:33Even if you are from Tamil Nadu, I am also from Tamil Nadu.

03:39All right.

03:40Okay, I like to ask right now in Tamil Nadu some issues going apart from the nation.

03:48The Tamil Nadu chief minister every time saying one dream, one dream. One dream means Hindi people don't know.

03:54But Tamil person you know. So how we central government to stop this from the one chief minister?

04:02I do not get into Indian politics when I go abroad. You want to ask me that question, you come and ask me in India.

04:09I will be very happy to help.