New Delhi, April 22 -- With the debut of RCEP ( Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), China made a daunting entry into India, despite India withdrawing from the trade bloc. This demonstrates India's failure to resist China's foray into the market. China made backdoor entry into India through RCEP-ASEAN intra-trade and bilateral FTAs; ASEAN accounted for one-third of intra-RCEP trade. RCEP includes 15 countries - ASEAN 10 plus China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. It was ratified in January 2022.

India withdrew from RCEP fearing China's predatory entry into India's large market and damaging domestic manufacturing. China baffled India's resilience using ASEAN through RCEP and India- ASEAN FTA. India's substantial in...