Majority wants Chinese mobiles banned in India

Majority wants Chinese mobiles banned in India

India and China relations has been undergoing severe stress. Its been two years since the violent clash at Galwan which resulted in the death of 20 Indian army personnel and countless Chinese soldiers happened. Tensions along the border remain real and the future course of bilateral relations is uncertain, at best.

Not just borders, both the countries has seen a diplomatic standoff on other fronts as well. Now, India is seeking to ban smartphones under Rs 12,000 from Chinese manufacturers. The move is said to be aimed at pushing Chinese giants out of the lower segment of the Indian market. This comes at a time when Chinese brands are already under the scanner for alleged financial wrongdoings and business malpractices.

The move has fumed Beijing which issued a statement that such activities are damaging the confidence of foreign entities. In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, "We urge the Indian side to earnestly fulfill its commitment to opennes and cooperation, and provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory investment and business environment for Chinese companies. China will firmly support Chinese companies in defending their lawful interests and rights".

In the past two years, there has been a growing anger among Indians towards its eastern neighbours. C Voter-India Tracker's recent survey resonates the sentiments. During the survey, the respondents were asked should Chinese mobiles be banned given the countries hostility towards India. A whopping 70 percent of the respondents reacted positively while 30 percent said New Delhi should not ban Chinese mobile phones.

As the accompanying chart shows, Indians across age, gender, educational, income, religious and ethnic backgrounds backed India's agressive stand against China. While 68 percent of youth (18-24 age group) supported New Delhi's move, over 76 percent of senior citizens (55+ age group) supported the idea. More men compared to females are reportedly in the anti-China mood, with 72 percent of males voting in favour compared to 68 percent of females.

We saw a similar pattern among ethnic groups. Over 75 percent of Upper Caste Hindus and 71 percent Dalits were in support of the move. Although, the support was muted among Muslims and Sikhs. 61 percent Muslims, while 49 percent Christians responded in favour. 

If we talk about political supporters, 78 percent of NDA voters and 64 percent of UPA supporters responded in favour.

Clearly, the data suggests that the strained relations between the two Asian giants in the past couple of years has led to a strong anti-China sentiment in India. The boundary crisis, together with the coronavirus pandemic and its health and economic consequences has already had an effect on Indian perceptions. And looking at this survey responses, the future does not seems good.