Big Take Asia Podcast

How Tariff Chaos Threw India's Toy-Making Dreams Into Disarray

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast: India wants to dethrone China as the world’s top toymaker. But the gambit faces hurdles.

Workers assemble toy parts at the Micro Plastics Pvt Ltd Warehousing facility in Harohalli Industrial Area, Karnataka, India, on  Dec. 3, 2025. — Workers assemble toy parts at the Micro Plastics Pvt Ltd Warehousing facility in Harohalli Industrial Area, Karnataka, India, on Dec. 3, 2025.
Photographer: Prashanth Vishwanathan /Bloomberg

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By K Oanh Ha and Naomi Ng

December 9, 2025 at 9:55 PM UTC

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The US tariff war with China sent American companies scrambling to find alternative manufacturing hubs. India looked promising until the White House upended everything.