Indian Customs Now Checking Each And Every Shipment From China After A Nationwide Risk Alert

The Indian Customs officials are now physically inspecting each and every shipment coming from China amid a nationwide alert attributing a higher risk to consignments arriving from the country, Economic Times has reported.

Following an IT-system based alert all ports and airports in the country initiated the physical checks since Monday night (22 June). The process was first started by Chennai customs and officials in places like Kolkata, Visakhapatnam and Mumbai soon followed suit.

Even authorised economic operators (AEOs), whose shipments were otherwise allowed inside without checks, will now be subjected to scrutiny. The checks include verification of documents, consignment and its valuation.

"Traded goods are being examined more closely while manufacturers’ cargo is being examined on priority", an official was quoted as saying.

This heightened scrutiny comes amid tensions between the two countries along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.

India had imported $62.4 billion worth of goods from China in FY20 - $7.9 billion less than the previous year.