In the current stand-off between India and China at the Doklam plateau the rhetoric is not the only news anymore. Yesterday it was reported that the Indian army has evacuated the villagers at the Doklam plateau in preparation for an expected battle with the Chinese army.
Today it was reported in the Indian news outlet “The North Lines” that Prime Minister Modi showed his resolve to stand up against the Chinese by imposing new anti-dumping duty on 93 products where the Chinese has taken over the business from local Indian manufacturers. This might not sound like a big deal but it´s a huge risk for Beijing if other countries follow India, for example the US and the EU countries.
Lo and behold – the US on Wednesday imposed anti-dumping duty on Chinese alumimun foil while EU yesterday imposed anti-dumping duty on Chinese steel products! This means that China potentially faces huge economic pressure in the near future. EU and India also plan to impose new duties on Chinese tyres. The pressure is definitely mounting on China now.
If more countries follow India, the US and EU´s example Beijing will be in a desperate situation and will risk facing a revolution in China from unhappy Chinese workers. With this sudden change of events expect Beijing to first send a reply to New Delhi. With EU and the US China will probably be more diplomatic as they can´t fight the whole world simultaneously.