China comes to defence of India's wheat export ban

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China comes to defence of India's wheat export ban

China has come to India s defence after being criticised by the West for imposing a wheat export ban. An article in Global Times, the Chinese government's mouthpiece, has defended India's decision and asked the Group of Seven G 7 industrialised nations if they criticise India, why won't they hike exports and stabilise food market supply.

This comes after German agriculture minister Cem Ozdemir said at a press conference in Stuttgart: If everyone starts to impose export restrictions or close markets, that would worsen the crisis. The Global Times report stated that G 7's performance was lacklustre.

It said that India is the second-largest wheat producer, but it accounts for only a small portion of global wheat exports, while some countries such as Australia, Canada, the EU and the US are some of the major wheat exporters.

The article said that if Western countries reduce wheat exports in the wake of a potential global food crisis, they won't be in a position to criticise India, a country that faces huge pressure to secure its own food supply in order to feed its huge population.

It said that the Ukraine crisis and the West s sanctions on Russia are the real reason behind the steep rises in global market food prices and food supply shortages.

India is not going to solve the food problem, but there's no denying that India's move to stop its wheat exports may push up wheat prices a bit. The West wants to shift blame to the developing economies, including India.

The Global Times report states that each country needs to reduce reliance on imported grain in the wake of a looming food crisis, and China has felt the pinch of growing food prices. The Chinese government has implemented policies to counter the effects.

The article stated that the US and its allies have tried to preserve their global dominance and serve their interests. It argued that the interests of the developing countries often take a back seat.

It added that developing countries have a strong incentive to take action because they suffer more than the developed ones. It called for the strengthening of cooperation between developing nations.

The article stated that it is not clear if India, China and other countries will play a bigger role in the global food supply chain. It said that the G 7 countries are welcome to join the efforts to tackle the global supply crisis.