China’s Intelligence Agency Operations in India

22 May, 2001    ·   499

Dr Subhash Kapila documents the growth and current operations of Chinese intelligence service in India
Dr. Subhash Kapila
India ’s national security threat perceptions focus on Pakistan and China and a combination of the two.  Both these countries have a conflictual record with India .  Contemporary developments would indicate that neither has Pakistan given up its avowed objective of destabilizing India nor has China given up limiting the rise of Indian power and India ’s pre-eminence in South Asia . 

 

 

Emerging from this the obvious conclusion that intelligence agencies of both Pakistan and China are operating actively in India for intelligence gathering and associated tasks.  Pakistan ’s intelligence agency ISI has become a household word due to its indulging in proxy war and terrorism.

 

 

Surprisingly, India ’s political and defence analysts and the media have paid scant attention to the operations of Chinese intelligence services India ’s China apologists would probably have us believe that, since China is not a threat, Chinese intelligence services do not function in India .

 

 

The lack of focus on Chinese intelligence services activities in India lie elsewhere, namely: 

 

 

o                    China seriously believes that unlike the CIA or KGB, a secret agency should remain secret;

 

 

o                    In the absence of substantial published literature on Chinese intelligence services, ignorance turns into bliss;

 

 

o                    India ’s intelligentsia, academics and journalists shirk from writing anything that could displease China .

 

 

 

 

Chinese intelligence service operations during the  British Rule

 

 

It would surprise many to learn that Chinese intelligence services established a foothold in India during British rule.  While the Nationalist Chinese were the wartime allies of the West, it was Chinese intelligence services, which managed to British accomplices in both the intelligence and propaganda war against the Japanese.  Some of Chinese intelligence services operatives who became later senior officials after 1949 began their careers in Calcutta and New Delhi . Chinese intelligence services s network in India was built upon by the intelligence assets created in war time. Chinese intelligence service uses ideologues and journalists, especially those with a Marxist bent of mind for their operations in India .

 

 

Operation in India in the 1950s and 1960s

 

 

As a prelude  to China ’s military occupation of Tibet , Chinese intelligence service operatives in hundreds fanned out into Tibet and Sinkiang.  They also located themselves on both sides of the Indo-Tibetan border from Ladakh to NEFA.  The cultivation of spies, agents, informers and sympathizers within India commenced.

 

 

Following the occupation of Tibet two intelligence organisations were established in Lhasa ; one of them  the Border Affairs Office had five top Chinese intelligence service officials assisted by a staff of 80 persons and 300 cartographers.  Besides other intelligence activities, this paved the way for cartographic aggression against India . 

 

 

In the 1960s, Chinese intelligence service's focus shifted to sponsoring insurgencies in the North Eastern states. The notable thing in this period and the 1970swas the shock to India when it discovered that Chinese intelligence services and CIA were jointly operating against India , especially in the North Eastern States.

 

 

The Chinese aim  was to subvert India ’s North East and the CIA’s aim then was to discomfit India because of the perception that India under Indira Gandhi was a Russian ally.

 

 

Chinese intelligence services' Contemporary Operations – An Assessment

 

 

Chinese intelligence service's contemporary operations in India are likely to be focused on obtaining information and intelligence about India on the following subjects.

 

 

·                     Nuclear weaponisation, deployment and C3I systems.

 

 

·                     Missile developments, deployments and capabilities.

 

 

·                     IT  capabilities, especially their military adaption by India .

 

 

·                     Space research and programmes.

 

 

·                     Satellite surveillance 

 

 

·                     Indo-US Relations in terms of strategic understandings.

 

 

It is in the above fields that China feels it has not been able to constrain India despite its transfer of nuclear weapons and missiles to Pakistan .  India also needs to note that Chinese intelligence efforts in this area do not require penetration of India ’s Armed Forces.  Chinese efforts in the field are likely to concentrate on soft civilian targets like scientists, policy analysts , staff of defence and space R & D establishments, journalists and think tanks.

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

Chinese intelligence service’s intelligence operations in India , unlike others, would be conducted in a very discreet manner.  The tasks are simpler as the potential targets are soft ones.  Further, Chinese intelligence service’s attempts are likely to concentrate on cultivating a large band of sympathizers in these fraternities.  The creation of a large group of China apologists is a bigger threat than a band of spies.

 

 

India needs to be doubly concerned about the prospect of Chinese intelligence services and ISI serving convergent national interests pertaining to India that would lead to close liaison, cooperation and coordination. Chinese intelligence services should draw equal attention from India ’s counter intelligence organizations, as the ISI. 

 

 

 

 

 

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