NEW DELHI, Nov 10: India on Tuesday urged the authorities concerned to act against Chinese livestreamers accused of filming in Dhaka and presenting the footage as scenes from New Delhi. The Ministry of External Affairs said the alleged activity sought to spread false narratives and distort the picture of a country.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks at his biweekly media briefing after reports of Chinese nationals livestreaming from low-income neighbourhoods in the Bangladeshi capital for several months.

At a glance

  • Chinese nationals were reported to have filmed in Uttara's Sector 12 and Tekpara in Dhaka.
  • Some livestreams allegedly identified Dhaka localities as New Delhi.
  • A livestream on November 1 reportedly made adverse comments about living conditions in an Uttara locality.
  • Residents alleged that some vloggers recorded inside private spaces without consent.

What happened

The controversy centred on videos and livestreams from densely populated, low-income parts of Dhaka that were allegedly presented to Chinese viewers as originating in India's capital.

Footage from Uttara and Tekpara showed streamers visiting narrow lanes, tea stalls and neighbourhoods near a canal. The broadcasts focused on poverty, housing and sanitation. Some video titles used words such as “poor”, “dirty” and “slum”.

A Chinese streamer identified as Mianmian, who was described as being from Sichuan province, was reportedly seen broadcasting beside a canal in Uttara on November 1. She allegedly described the locality as New Delhi and made critical remarks about tin-roofed homes, hygiene and law and order.

Another streamer, identified as Wang Wei, was reported to have filmed at tea stalls in Tekpara. He allegedly claimed that tea consumed by local residents was made using cow urine.

The activity was reported to have continued for several months. Chinese nationals were said to have used phones fitted with cooling fans for prolonged filming sessions. Videos were available on Chinese social media platforms, including Bilibili and Youku.

Some recordings appeared to portray the streamers as helping people facing difficult circumstances. However, questions remained over why footage from Dhaka was allegedly described as being from Delhi.

Who said what

Jaiswal said India had seen the reports and described attempts to present a distorted picture of any country as unfortunate.

“Insofar as efforts by foreign elements to portray parts of Dhaka as Delhi are concerned, peddling of false narratives only undermines the credibility of those who are undertaking such actions and those who are behind them,” he said.

He urged the authorities concerned to take action against those involved.

A Chinese national identified as Fangyou reportedly said the broadcasts were linked to product-promotion activities. The person did not explain why low-income Dhaka neighbourhoods were selected for the videos or why some broadcasts allegedly identified them as locations in India.

Residents said some vloggers entered homes and other private areas while recording without seeking permission. A response from the Chinese livestreamers to allegations that they had misidentified Dhaka as Delhi was not available.

Background

The reported videos surfaced as India and China worked to normalise relations after an October 2024 understanding to end a military standoff in Ladakh. The standoff had lasted more than four years and pushed bilateral ties to a six-decade low.

Foreign content creators have long filmed poverty and informal settlements across South Asia. In this case, the concern centred on the alleged use of Bangladeshi footage to make claims about conditions in India.

Why it matters for Assam and the Northeast

The matter concerned an alleged attempt to portray conditions in Bangladesh as those in India. The Ministry of External Affairs did not indicate any specific implications for Assam or other northeastern states.

What next

India said it expected the authorities concerned to proceed against those responsible. No official action, investigation timeline or further meeting was announced.