China’s engagement with South Asia goes well beyond flashy infrastructure projects or arms sales, argues a new report by the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP). Edited by Constantino Xavier and Jabin Jacob, How China Engages South Asia in the Open and Behind the Scenes brings together 20 scholars from across the region to track Beijing’s visible and invisible footprint.
Speaking on the project, Xavier, Senior Fellow at CSEP, said the motivation was to move beyond polarized narratives that either demonize or celebrate China. “We know a lot about China in Africa or Europe, but far less about its presence in India’s neighborhood. So we asked local scholars—those best placed to observe—to map the actual modus operandi of Chinese engagement,” he explained.
The findings highlight how China is investing in the “long game” of influence. In Bangladesh, for instance, Chinese military training and exchanges are subtly shaping doctrines and mindsets, far more consequential than the sale of outdated Ming-class submarines. In Sri Lanka, research shows how Chinese companies have influenced regulatory frameworks to secure favorable long-term conditions for their investments. Beijing’s digital operations are also evident, with coordinated social media campaigns in Sinhala and Tamil pushing narratives that enhance China’s image while countering those of India or the West.
Crucially, Xavier underlined that China’s outreach now transcends ideology. “The Communist Party engages not just leftists, but also royalists in Nepal, Islamists in Bangladesh, and even the Taliban. It is a far more agile, adaptive strategy than the ideological support Beijing offered in the 20th century,” he noted.
For India, the report offers both a warning and an opportunity. Xavier stressed the need to strengthen China studies in Indian universities and think tanks, and to respond with faster delivery of aid, digital public infrastructure, and developmental partnerships. “These countries realize that growth is impossible without India. The question is: what alternatives can India provide to meet their needs?” he said.
The report’s bottom line is clear: China is systematically embedding itself into South Asia’s political, legal, and social ecosystems. Whether India can match this “long game” with its own strategic depth will shape the region’s future balance of power.
In a career spanning three decades and counting, Ramananda (Ram to his friends) has been the foreign editor of The Telegraph, Outlook Magazine and the New Indian Express. He helped set up rediff.com’s editorial operations in San Jose and New York, helmed sify.com, and was the founder editor of India.com.
His work has featured in national and international publications like the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, Global Times and Ashahi Shimbun. But his one constant over all these years, he says, has been the attempt to understand rising India’s place in the world.
He can rustle up a mean salad, his oil-less pepper chicken is to die for, and all it takes is some beer and rhythm and blues to rock his soul.
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