Chinese Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Through Public Diplomacy in South Asia: A Critical Assessment
China’s Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collection through public diplomacy has been instrumental in overcoming its ‘century of humiliation’ and emergence as a global economic and military power for pursuing her ‘Middle Kingdom Dream’ without raising major alarms. With deep pockets and surplus construction capabilities, China has placed its citizens and proxies at strategic chokepoints of the world by using innocuous-looking ‘thousand grains of sand, mosaic approach, human wave, or citizen spying’ methods for HUMINT collection. The trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative has further facilitated China’s economic growth and global expansion through HUMINT operations. As China shifts its focus to the South Asian region in the 21st century to support its growth engine, it inevitably affects India’s strategic interests. India, with comparable public diplomacy assets, must implement a comprehensive policy to enhance its HUMINT capabilities. Learning from China’s approach is crucial for India to counter China’s expanding influence and protect its strategic interests.
- D.C.S. Mayal |
- July-September 2025 |
