Goyal says India is open to Chinese suppliers as duties and licences mount

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on 27 October that India is open to Chinese suppliers of intermediate goods and raw materials. He told reporters in The Hague that where pricing is unfair, an "established judicial process" applies^1, 2.

Asked about China's new export controls on tunnel boring machines, he said: "We will work on it"^1, 2.

Two-way trade with China rose about 29% to $91.76 billion in April to September 2026-27, from $71.24 billion a year earlier, commerce ministry data show. That made China India's largest trading partner in the first half¹. In 2025-26, India bought $131.62 billion of Chinese goods and ran a deficit of $99.19 billion¹.

A minister's remark is not a notification. The reports of his remarks describe no change to duties, quality control orders or licensing^1, 2. The paperwork moved the other way.

In force now

On 24 October, the Finance Ministry notified anti-dumping duties of $460 to $681 per tonne on specified titanium dioxide from China for five years^3, 4. The trade remedies body's final findings are dated 3 August 2026⁴. An earlier levy from May 2025 was withdrawn. The Calcutta High Court had ordered a fresh look after a challenge by the Indian Paint Association^3, 4.

The rate depends on the producer. LB Group companies and other listed manufacturers face $460 per tonne. Listed non-sampled cooperative producers pay $510. Shandong Jinhai and Shandong Xianghai face $563, and Anhui Gold Star $609. All other producers pay $681⁴. The lower rates need a commercial invoice that names the manufacturer. The supplier chosen therefore decides the duty⁴.

Titanium dioxide is the white pigment in paints and coatings and also goes into plastics⁴. The order excludes grades used in food additives, pharmaceutical tablet coatings, cosmetics and sunscreen, textile and fibre output, and nano grades below 100 nanometres⁴.

China's machinery controls are due, not hypothetical. On 19 October, MOFCOM said exports of tunnel boring machines, walking excavators and plateau-type wet shotcrete machines will need licences from 18 November⁵. Exporters must apply under China's Export Control Law and dual-use rules⁵. The same announcement tightened controls on specified dredger parts. These include slurry pumps with an inlet of at least 0.55 metres and a maximum speed of no more than 400 revolutions per minute⁵. UAV items, including certain engines, autopilots and flight-control systems, need authorisation from 18 November too⁶.

Proposed, and only talked about

The technology catalogue is still a draft. Under Announcement No. 48 of 2026, MOFCOM and the Ministry of Science and Technology proposed adding 40 technologies⁶. The list covers 23 in artificial intelligence, five biomedical and 12 photovoltaic technologies⁶. Comment runs to 15 November 2026, and the additions are not final⁶. But an interim pre-registration requirement took effect on publication, covering some transactions already under way⁶.

For solar buyers, the risk sits upstream. Arulkumar Shanmugasundram of SWELECT Energy Systems said Indian firms have non-Chinese options for cells, wafers and polysilicon, but ingot technology is sensitive⁷. BusinessLine reported that China has a near monopoly in ingot production⁷. Deloitte's Anujesh Dwivedi said imports may still be possible with licences, while lead times may lengthen⁷.

Officials said the Centre will hold talks with stakeholders on limiting the damage from the machinery curbs. A $1.2 billion incentive scheme to make construction equipment at home is close to final approvals, they said^8, 9.

What the cost picture looks like

Tunnelling equipment shows how dependence survives restrictions. India's imports of tunnelling machinery from China fell from $18 million in 2022-23 to $800,000 in 2025-26, figures cited by Reuters show⁹. Machines for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor were built by Germany's Herrenknecht in China, and clearances became a bottleneck in 2024⁹. Officials still flag high-duty engines, heavy cranes and tunnelling equipment as pressure points⁸.

Relief, where it comes, arrives through narrow doors. The government has extended the deadline for mandatory BIS certification of aluminium beverage cans by six months to April 2027, as reported on 23 October¹⁰. Imported cans cost 25% to 30% more, and approval can require inspection of plants overseas¹⁰. The quality control lever moves, but for supply reasons¹⁰.

What to do now

• Check the producer rate. For titanium dioxide, get an invoice that names the manufacturer; without it, the $681 per tonne rate applies⁴.
• Confirm the exclusion. Food, pharma, cosmetic, textile and nano grades sit outside the duty, subject to conditions⁴.
• Ask for licence status in writing. Tunnel boring machines, walking excavators, shotcrete machines and UAV components shipped after 18 November need Chinese authorisation^5, 6.
• For solar equipment covered by the proposed controls, plan for longer lead times⁷.
• Watch three things: the 15 November close of comment on China's catalogue, the 18 November start of licences, and any new trade remedies finding or customs notification^5, 6.