Govt imposes curbs on imports of cabinet hinges, roller chains to cut Chinese reliance

New Delhi: The government on Monday imposed import restrictions on cabinet hinges and roller chains priced below a certain value to discourage cheap inbound shipments of these goods from countries like China.

While the import restrictions are there for hinges if they are priced below Rs 280 per kilogram, the curbs of inbound shipments of the chains will kick in if the prices are less than Rs 235 per kilogram.

The hinges are essentially hardware components. It connects cabinet doors to their frames. Roller chains are used in various machines, including bicycles, motorcycles, printing press machines, and conveyors.

"Import of Cabinet Hinges having a CIF (cost, insurance, freight) value of less than Rs 280 per kilogram, is restricted," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

In another notification, the DGFT said that the import of Roller Chains and parts having a CIF value of less than Rs 235 per kilogram is restricted.

Now, importers of both these goods would have to seek permission or a license from the DGFT if the import prices are below the specified rates.

Earlier, there were no restrictions on these imports.

Hinges are mainly imported from countries like China, Italy and Germany, while the chains are imported from China, Germany and Japan.

The move assumes significance as the country is taking a series of steps to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce import dependence from countries like China.

The country's trade deficit with China widened to $99.2 billion during 2024-25.

In that fiscal, India's exports to China contracted 14.5 per cent to $14.25 billion against $16.66 billion in 2023-24. The imports, however, rose by 11.52 per cent in 2024-25 to $113.45 billion compared to $101.73 billion in 2023-24.

The trade deficit with China has widened by about 17 per cent to $99.2 billion in the last fiscal from $85.07 billion in 2023-24.

China continues to be the second largest trading partner of India with $127.7 billion two-way commerce in 2024-25 as compared to $118.4 billion in 2023-24.

According to the Commerce Ministry data, China was India's top trading partner from 2013-14 till 2017-18 and also in 2020-21.