Before becoming a national security advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ajit Doval, as the director of the VIF think tank, wrote a landmark article published on July 3, 2013 titled “Chinese Intelligence: From Party Suit to Cyber Warriors “.
The document highlights the penetration of the Chinese intelligence agency Ministry of State Security (MSS) in the establishment of the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala and the support to the anti-Indian insurgent groups of the northeast with the help of the Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence. (ISI) when necessary, and keeping a close watch on the activities of the Indian army on the border with Tibet.
The document concludes: “The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) over the years has improved its intelligence capabilities at tactical, technological and strategic levels, particularly in the Asia Pacific, South Asia and Central Asia Region. The MSS has become the main foreign intelligence agency and, in addition to diplomatic intelligence, has been aggressively pursuing technological data and systems information to augment national economic and military capabilities. It continues to bet heavily on the Chinese global diaspora which provides it with a vast catchment area of human assets for intelligence gathering and espionage. In order to expand its area of influence, it is expanding its illegal coverage for intelligence gathering for the use of business companies and business houses, media agencies, Chinese banks, etc. The establishment of nearly 380 Confucius Institutes in 180 countries, Chinese language institutes, etc. they are also part of its foreign intelligence activities. China envisions a great power role for itself and is quietly but steadily developing its intelligence capabilities in line with that vision. “
While it is quite evident from the monograph that both the Western world, the Indo-Pacific and India knew about the penetration of Chinese intelligence, it awoke from a deep sleep after PLA soldiers in a planned action transgressed aggressively the northern shores of Pangong Tso. followed by Galwan and the Gogra-Hot Springs area in East Ladakh.
This week, an investigative report by The Australian highlighted how loyal members of the Communist Party of China infiltrated Western consulates and megacorporations disguised as professionals. The 2016 leak of the Communist Party membership database also reveals, according to The Australian, that newspaper editors and intellectuals act as influencers of the world’s largest Communist Party on social media and seminars.
Although the Australian investigative report does not speak of India, India’s main intelligence agency has warned the cabinet secretary and top secretaries about the threat posed by Chinese intelligence in government, particularly in the departments of telecommunications, energy and higher education. the 15th of July. The presentation by the Indian agency provided an overview of Chinese intelligence infiltration attempts into the government and the key pillars of democracy. The use of Chinese mobile applications for data extraction and the role of the Confucius Institutes as an influencing factor were also highlighted along with the incorporation of malware into electrical equipment. It was then decided that the government would review the Confucius Institutes in the country and memorandums of understanding with countries that share land borders with India should first obtain the approval of the ministry of foreign affairs and the corresponding ministry. The action, five months later, is still in progress.
Ajit Doval, in his 2013 article, wrote that in 2009, the Information Warfare Monitor Citizen of the University of Toronto published a “Ghost Net” report detailing the intrusion of Chinese hackers into the Indian Security Establishment’s network system. and the offices of the Dalai Lama’s secretariat. The report was expected to be rejected by Beijing.
Although Indian counterintelligence closely follows Chinese activities, reducing Pakistan to a Middle Kingdom client state would have serious security implications for the subcontinent, as Islamabad could become a major source of intelligence gathering against India and the subcontinent. with linguistic problems. and cultural similarities. Appointing officials from the United Front of China Labor Department, which reports directly to the Communist Party of China central committee, as ambassadors to the Indian subcontinent presents a major security challenge. These ambassadors are ideologically committed workers of the Chinese Communist Party unlike Indian diplomats whose views on India and the world are not dictated by the political party in power.
Given the huge financial resources with these embassies, Indian security agencies are already fighting a downhill battle against Beijing’s influence.
It is quite evident that the two iron brothers will exploit all the dividing lines in India, from Kashmir, the insurgencies in the northeast, the Maoists to economic disparity and religious fundamentalism, to destabilize India.
It is to the credit of the Chinese pelf and power that, although 1.6 million people have succumbed to the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan in November 2019, it is very difficult for the international community to blame Beijing or demand reparations for the year. lost.
With India facing off against the PLA aggression in East Ladakh and demanding that the status quo be restored by April 2020, the Narendra Modi government must be prepared for the battle for a dominant China.
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