India and China are competitors in Asia. India is the only country in the region to have halted the Chinese military in its tracks. It also refuses to acknowledge the BRI, including in forums where the two nations jointly participate. After protracted negotiations the two nations disengaged in Ladakh. De-escalation and de-induction are still some distance away. While it may appear that peace is possibly around the corner, mainly due to changing global dynamics, India remains aware that China is a major threat and it cannot let its guard down. Indian capability and infrastructure development is largely to counter Chinese military threats.

While handling China militarily and economically is one aspect, what remains a matter of concern is growing Chinese influence in South Asia, India’s backyard. This has the ability to impact India’s security. The tools that China employs are vast, including economic, educational and promoting the Confucian model which is non-interference in internal matters of other nations. Economically, all countries in South Asia, except India, are members of the Chinese BRI (Belt Road Initiative). Loans provided by China without preconditions have made these nations indebted to Beijing. Currently, Pakistan owes 72 per cent of its foreign debt to China, Sri Lanka 57 per cent, Maldives 68 per cent, Nepal 27 per cent and Bangladesh 24 per cent.

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For any loans from global lenders, such as the World Bank, these nations would need debt restructuring from China, which provides it with additional leverage. The case of Sri Lanka is well known where China acted only once India led the way. Globally, China has never conditioned its loans based on the nature of governance nor projects for which they are sought. Thus, nations questioned by Western institutions or sanctioned for human rights prefer the Chinese. Once hooked, the nation becomes beholden to China and over a period of time is compelled to support it in global forums.

Another tool being exploited by China is education. It provides scholarships to students via its 1996 established China Scholarship Council. Currently it gives annual scholarships to 7,100 students from Pakistan, 100 from Sri Lanka, 55 from Bangladesh and 75 each from Nepal and Maldives. The numbers from Bangladesh may increase with the change in government. All students joining on scholarship are required to undergo a foundation programme which focuses on language proficiency and cultural adaptation. In addition there are Confucius Institutes, classrooms and the teaching of the Mandarin language in institutions.

There are 498 Confucius Institutes and 773 Confucius classrooms globally, of which 14 are in South Asia. Mandarin teaching is sponsored in many schools in South Asia by the Chinese government. These institutes, apart from teaching the Chinese language, also project Chinese culture and history. They sell Confucian values of harmony, respect for authority and social order. The intent is to spread the image of China being a wise global actor and offset Sinophobia. Historically China has been displaying its communist governance model as an alternative to democracy, terming it as ‘democracy with Chinese characteristics.’ It claims that this system of governance is aimed at economic development as against political freedom.

It regularly harps on the fact that it has reduced poverty faster than any democracy. China, apart from exploiting its own state-controlled English media networks for selling its views, adds to this by purchasing media space in target nations. Internally, its own social media networks, Weibo and WeChat, are strictly monitored. Chinese CCPcontrolled media outlets like the Global Times, China Daily, People’s Daily and China Global Television Network operate accounts, apart from English, in Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and Tamil. The Hindi Facebook page alone has 11 million followers.

The Chinese embassy purchases full page advertisements in multiple print media networks in India. Each of these promotes Chinese development, thoughts and cultural achievements. This is based on the Chinese strategy of ‘borrowing a boat to reach the sea.’ The Chinese ambassador to India has, in recent years, published 13 editorials in Indian newspapers. On the other hand, Chinese media networks refuse to publish articles or even rebuttals from the Indian embassy in Beijing.

In recent times, China has added to this propaganda model by inviting select pro-China Indian media personalities to China, and organized their interaction with select Chinese officials and academicians, all of whom parroted the Chinese viewpoint. What does all this mean for India? China plays upon India’s ‘big brother’ image to its benefit in South Asia by projecting non-interference in local governance models as also backing them against any comments by India. Over the years, nations in South Asia have had anti-India governments at some time, while all have a Chinaneutral policy.

Recently, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party as also Islamist political leaders visited China, sponsored by the Chinese embassy in Dhaka. Both groups are known to be anti-India. Most South Asian countries are financially beholden to China and hence in some form exploited. Chinese spy/survey ships have visited Hambantota port in Sri Lanka as well as the Maldives. Whether they visit Bangladesh next is to be seen. Pakistan is already in Beijing’s pocket. Dependence on China could also have a military dimension, especially for India’s neighbours, Nepal and Bangladesh.

They could be exploited during periods of hostilities or their territory used to ferment internal disruption in India. Pakistan has already benefitted from Chinese armaments, the nuclear weapons programme as also missile technology. If China obtains a military base in any other South Asian nation, this could be an added concern. Simultaneously, all nations in the region turn to India when they face a major financial crisis, Sri Lanka and Maldives being prime examples. India has always supported them however has yet not been able to overcome the dominating big brother image.

This is largely because our strategic media projection has not been effective. We have failed to highlight to the common man, in the target country, that India has no extra territorial ambitions and supports whichever government is in power without conditions. While we are aware that we cannot match Chinese funding, we have not taken the initiative to exploit our relations with the West to provide funds under India’s monitoring to South Asian countries. Neither are we playing up our cultural linkages nor fully exploiting our soft power. Unless we act proactively, our own neighbourhood could end up in a Chinese embrace.

(The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army.)