China has made an angry response to India's six-month ban on Chinese-made toys.
According to a representative from China's Ministry of Commerce, the Chinese government will launch a "solemn and just" protest against India and may also file a lawsuit against the India at the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization.
In late January, India announced a six month ban on imports of toys from China, its biggest trade partner. India's media quoted the secretary general of the Indian Toy Industry Association, as saying that they were astonished by the government's ban against Chinese toys. Though the Indian government did not give a reason for the ban, the association believes that the government did so to protect its own toy industry.
According to Indian media, India imported about 1.2 million toys each week from China between 1992 and 2003 and Chinese toys have accounted for about 80% of India's toy market since 1997.
Statistics show that China produces 70% of the world's toys, with Guangdong province producing 70% of these made-in-China toys.