Owing to pressure from the government of China, India on Monday (March 2) withdrew the ban on imports of Chinese toys. China warned that India's ban on Chinese toy might demolish the bilateral trade ties existing between the two countries. Media reports say that Beijing was also considering to drag India to WTO on the ban issue. According to Indian ministry of commerce, the import of toys from China will be allowed if they conform to the international safety standards. 

 

The government of India imposed a ban on the import of Chinese toys on January this year citing concerns over the safety standards of Chinese-made products. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade, India had notified that the restriction will remain valid for six months. Chinese toy industry came under scanner after the news of using toxic lead paints in manufacturing the products. The Indian government had imposed the ban on import after that report.

 

While informing about the safety standards that are needed to be followed by Chinese toy industry, ministry of commerce informed that, it is important that the toy industry should procure certificates from safety bodies such as the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) or the American Society for Testing and Materials. The Chinese toy export also suffered the brunt of global financial crisis in addition to the decline in demand of toys in key US and European markets.