China Retains Position as India's Top Trading Partner for 11 Consecutive Months

China's Trade Dominance with India

In the fiscal year 2026, China has emerged as India's largest trading partner, marking the 11th consecutive month in this leading position, as reported by Xu Feihong, a representative from the Chinese Embassy in India. On April 8, the Chinese Ambassador shared on social media that the trade volume between India and China reached an impressive $137 billion from April to February of FY2026. This figure significantly surpasses the $127.8 billion trade recorded with the United States during the same timeframe.

Feihong expressed his satisfaction in a post, stating, "Glad to know that China has become India's largest trading partner in FY2026 — for the 11th straight month." The accompanying image highlighted that during the April-February period, trade with China outpaced that with the US, reinforcing China's dominant position.

Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions and the Indian government's initiatives to diversify supply chains and lessen import reliance in critical sectors, the trade relationship between India and China remains robust. In February, Qin Jie, the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Mumbai, emphasized that external factors would not hinder India-China trade, citing both nations as significant economies that advocate for multilateralism and trade.

Qin Jie remarked, "Because India is a very big economy and China is also a very large economy. We are countries that both support multilateralism and multilateral trade and multicultural exchange." This statement underscores the resilience of the trade relationship between the two nations.