‘Made in China’ has been invading India for some time now, but ‘Chinese made in India’ is the new spy plan to counter the dragon’s spreading talons from across the border. Worried about the security implications of the sudden Chinese tourist influx to the Northeastern states, Central intelligence agencies are scouting for Mandarin experts.
India has been on alert against Chinese intrusions; the last one was in Arunachal Pradesh on August 21. Meant to counter the troublesome neighbour’s propaganda and espionage rings, the Mandarin Strategy is known as ‘Pre-emption and Prevention’ among the Intelligence fraternity. It was first mooted in 2009; however, arrests of several Chinese spy modules last year has given a sense of urgency to the idea of hiring Chinese speakers to decode human Intelligence traffic.
Fears of Chinese indoctrination and recruitment have increased among the top levels of the Indian intelligence establishment. Sources said that more than 200 strategic institutions in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, including monasteries, are witnessing a flood of visitors from China and Tibet, an autonomous hill province virtually ruled by China. It is suspected that many young students from the Tibetan Autonomous Region are planted in monasteries to gather information about the activities of the Tibetan diaspora fighting for an independent nation. India has given refuge to the Dalai Lama, who lives in Dharamsala.
Agencies admit that it is impossible to examine the antecedents of each and every tourist or pilgrim unless they have assets on the ground, which understand the language and dialects of the visitors. Hence a Mandarin language expert unit will filter information collected from various dialects through technical intercepts in the border areas. In 2012, Liangki Jiancen, a Chinese spy posing as a trader, was caught by Indian agencies from Sikkim. Liangki had collected a wealth of information about India’s strategic infrastructures and key installations in the border areas. Sources said that over 650 Chinese nationals, who entered Indian territory on valid visas, have not returned and pose a serious security threat.
The sources also said that there are serious apprehensions that undercover Chinese spies have infiltrated the local population to spread propaganda or to obtain information about troop strengths in the bordering areas.
In 2011-12, at least seven Chinese nationals were picked up from bordering villages. “We are also looking at schools in the area where Mandarin could be introduced at the primary level, so that the vast language gap can be filled in the next 10 years,” sources said.