‘Boycott China’: Residents of Noida paste posters on shops

GREATER NOIDA: Residents of Noida Extension have started a campaign against Chinese products and are reaching out to shopkeepers to urge them not to sell items imported from that country. The move comes in the wake of the clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan valley.
A group of residents from different societies, such as Spring Meadows, La Residentia. Nirala Estate and others, visited several shops in the vicinity and pasted posters with slogans like “boycott made in China” on the shutters.
The recent clash has sparked an unrest across the country, with many online campaigns calling out for uninstalling Chinese applications from cellphones. In others parts of Noida, too, residents have urged traders to boycott Chinese products, which have made rapid inroads into the Indian market because of their low costs.
Sumit Baisoya, a resident of La Residentia, said though their online protest against Chinese apps had been continuing for a few days, they thought of starting a physical campaign on Sunday. “We reached out to the owners of shops in societies like Spring Meadows, La Residentia, Nirala Estate and others and urged them not to sell Chinese products. However, some of the traders said they had already bought Chinese products and not selling them would lead to losses. We requested them not to buy in the future,” he added. Baisoya said they would bring out another march on Tuesday in markets in Spring Meadows, Leisure Valley, Ecovillage I, Arihant Arden and Havelia.
In Gaur City I, too, “boycott China” posters were pasted on some of the shops. Atul Lohia, a resident, said he saw the posters outside at least two shops. “Earlier, the campaign against Chinese products and apps was limited to online platforms. Every day, more and more people are removing Chinese apps from their phones,” he added.
Protest outside Oppo
As many as 30 people, including self-styled Hindu activist Bhupendra Tomar alias Pinky Chaudhary, were booked for violating the lockdown norms and taking out a protest without the administration’s permission on Sunday. The protesters flocked to the factory of Chinese phone maker Oppo in Ecotech 1 area and locked the gates.