India pitches for soybean, sugar exports to China amid US trade dispute

The meeting took place amid growing rapprochement between the two countries after the Doklam standoff

Sharply criticising protectionist policies of western countries, India on Saturday offered to export soybean and sugar to China amid the tariff spat between Beijing and Washington and sought major Chinese investments specially in India's housing-for-all project.

“You import a lot of agricultural products, up to $20 billion or more,” NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar said in his address to the fifth India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED).

“I was noticing that there are some tariffs you imposed on farmers' from Iowa and Ohio. Maybe India can substitute for soybean and sugar, if we could access those exports with all the due quality considerations to our farmers. That is very useful,” he told the chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) He Lifeng.

Both, Kumar and He led the India-China SED here which broadly covers various aspects of economic and trade relations between the two countries.

It was not held last year amid the Dokalam standoff. The meeting took place amid growing rapprochement between the two countries after the standoff.

On Friday, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held wide ranging talks with top official of the ruling Communist Party Yang Jiechi to step up engagement between the two countries.