New Delhi: Amid the strained ties between the two Himalayan neighbours, a new report has revealed extend of China’s influence in India and its hidden agenda in increasing its influence, which is aimed at making in-roads into the Indian economy and society.
In a webinar organized on September 3, the Law and Society Alliance held a discussion to commemorate the release of its report titled ‘Mapping Chinese Footprints and Influence Operations in India’.
The report tries to identify how deep and extensive the Chinese foothold in India is. The report identifies key elements and ways in which Chinese intelligence services and the Chinese government have assimilated them into various Indian industries from the entertainment industry to academia.
Besides highlighting the Indian industries and areas where China has over the years increased its influence is not enough, the report also touches upon Beijing’s hidden agenda in increasing its influence in India.
Through a combination of financial investments as seen in the entertainment industry to spreading propaganda in the socio-political realm through Confucius Institutes, Beijing is using every play available to it to make in-roads into the Indian economy and society in order to try and advance its own selfish narrative and to create discord within the Indian society in regard to China’s actions and motives.
“India’s budding tech sector has also not been able to escape the clutches of China. Since 2015, China and Chinese firms have invested around USD 7 billion in the Indian tech sector. Coupled with a large number of acquisitions, Chinese companies have become major shareholders of some of India’s biggest tech companies,” the report states.
It also adds that Chinese influence over the years has slowly permeated into India’s political environment as well.
“One of the examples highlighted by the Law and Society report is how the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has refrained from criticising or rebuking China.”