By Amresh Kr Srivastava



New Delhi, Oct 28 (UNI) Amid the Intelligence Bureau (IB) input about the increasing penetration of Chinese influences in Indian education set up through its Confucius Institute, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is mulling to evolve a preventive mechanism to deal with this challenge.

Sources in the MHA said the Home Minister Rajnath Singh is also seized of the matter relating to the threats emanating from ‘Chinese penetration in Indian educational institutions’ and has asked senior officials to formulate a strategy to counter this at the earliest.

The IB is keeping close eye on the role of China’s Confucius Institute, apparently an intellectual institution, in Mumbai University, a reliable source in the security set up said here.

The Confucius Institute is now planning to set up similar centres in Vellore, Sulur, Coimbatore and Kolkata has sent alarm bells ringing in the intelligence community as well as the Government.

“Chinese Institute, which is otherwise an overt institution of intellectuals, has of late come under the intelligence agency scanner when they had input of expansion in four other cities.

The Intelligence wing feels that the institute is being exploited by Beijing worldwide for gathering information from other countries”, a senior official in the security set up told UNI.

The Chinese agencies’ efforts through Chinese businessmen to gain access to decision making levels in Indian establishments have also emerged as another area of concern, the official added.

Amid China’s growing geopolitical ambition, the Indian Intelligence agencies are apprehending aggressive Intelligence gathering by Beijing.

The Indian agencies are keeping a watch on the MoUs signed with Indian universities, colleges, student exchange programmes and other educational and cultural activities.

The Intelligence reports have advised the States to keep a watch on the Chinese activities and inform the Central agencies for collation of data and remedial action.

“The modus operandi of the Chinese Intelligence gathering apparatus globally is using amateurs and its expatriate community settled worldwide which is not only a big challenge to detect but also difficult to prove in a court of law.

China is the most active nation involved in cyber espionage with formidable capabilities”, a Home Ministry official who is seized of this matter said.

The Chinese intelligence agencies are also known to be different from their counterparts in US and Russia wherein Beijing exploits its soft power for espionage activities under the cover of legitimate activities like trade and commerce, academics and scholars, businessmen and Intelligence operatives under official cover of diplomats, defence attaches and journalists, another official said.

India and China share a complex relationship due to the lack of a physically defined India-China boundary, lack of clarification of the Line of Actual Control, Beijing’s concern about presence of the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso in India and New Delhi’s concerns regarding post-Dalai Lama Scenario.

The relationship is further complicated by Chinese support to Northeastern insurgent groups, increased Chinese interest in the Indian Ocean Region and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC, a part of BRI) which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and growing Chinese influence in India’s neighbourhood especially Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Maldives, a top government functionary admitted.

UNI AKS AR JA 1126