According to a government official, India is well within its rights to retaliate against the dumping of low-quality goods because the government’s quality control orders for products intended for mass consumption, such as air conditioners, pressure cookers, toys, and machinery safety equipment, are in accordance with WTO standards. Some WTO members objected in January when India issued quality control directives to reduce a spike in Chinese imports and increase exports. Concerns about the WTO’s quality control orders had also been raised by Canada, Japan, the UK, and the EU. The official claimed that although India fell behind other nations in terms of standards, it must prioritise quality in order to maximise free-trade agreements and benefit from the West’s China-plus-one policy. “QCOs are only levied on imports after being applied to the domestic market first. Hence, we are fully within our rights (to bring QCOs). We must act in retaliation by imposing QCOs on their products as well because they (western nations) impose quality requirements on our products, the source continued, seeking anonymity.
