India's ambition to replace China as industrial hub a 'pie in the sky', says Chinese media

Global Times, a Chinese news website which has the backing of China's ruling Communist Party, today mocked India's ambition to fill the void created due to the ongoing trade war between Beijing and Washington.

The website, in a scathing editorial, said India's industrial capabilities are nowhere near to China's manufacturing prowess.

Quoting Minister of Commerce, Suresh Prabhu, the website said that it is quite apparent that India wants to have a bigger slice of the world trade pie. Prabhu reportedly told Bloomberg that "India will focus on boosting exports to the US and other global markets as Chinese shipments become unattractive".


However, the Global Times said: "India's intention of gaining from the trade dispute between China and the US will likely prove to be pie in the sky, as the South Asian nation isn't ready to take advantage of any such opportunity."

Quoting WTO statistics, it said India's share of world exports stood at 1.68 percent in 2017 compared with China's 12.77 percent.

There is little chance of "Make in India" overtaking "Made in China" in the US market, the editorial added.

Making light of US' posture in the ongoing trade war, the editorial said no country can fill China's place.

"This is especially the case in India, whose industrial capabilities still have a long way to go before matching China's manufacturing prowess. It's not likely that attracting one or two companies to manufacture in India will quickly produce what the US wants. What's needed are complete production systems, almost a mission impossible for New Delhi at present," the Global Times added.