Importing From India to China

China was India's third-largest export market in FY2025-26, at US$19.48 billion, up 36.66% on the year before (PIB, 15 April 2026 (opens in a new tab)). Most of that is industrial and primary goods, not the consumer products this playbook covers. So this page is short, and it's only about the border. Comparing China and India as places to source from is a different question for a different page.

The one agreement is APTA, covered on its own page. What's China-specific is a registration rule that stops Indian food, and nothing else we found matters as much.

Last researched 28 September 2026 · Next review 24 November 2026 · Written by SourcingFrom

1. APTA Is All There Is

There's no bilateral India-China trade agreement. APTA gives margins only on the lines China put on its concession list, and we haven't read that list, so we can't tell you whether your line is on it. Ask your Chinese broker for the APTA rate on your code before you ask the supplier for an APTA certificate.

2. Food Needs a Registered Factory

If you import Indian food into China - spices, tea, rice, seafood, anything edible - the factory that made it has to be registered with China's customs administration. Since 1 June 2026 the rule is GAC Decree No. 280, which replaced Decree 248 and adds cold stores for meat and seafood to the list. The registration number goes on the customs declaration and has to match the producer of those exact goods, and if it's missing or wrong the declaration isn't accepted and the shipment waits (China Briefing, 2026 (opens in a new tab)).

That's where an Indian trader or merchant exporter can trip you up, through no bad intent. The registration belongs to the factory, not the trader, so ask for the maker's registration number before you pay, and check it matches the factory on the paperwork.

Next Step

The shared APTA rule is on the APTA page, and every agreement's status is on India's trade agreements. If you need the maker identified and its registration checked at the Indian end, SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) can do that.