Chinese Influence Operations Among Tibetan Diaspora in India and Nepal

Abstract

This study examines methods, tactics, and objectives of China’s influence operations among the Tibetan diaspora in India and Nepal in the post-2008 period. While China’s influence operations show continuity from previous periods in terms of objectives and tactics, post-2008, China’s increasing use of digital methods is a marked change. Further, based on analysis of the budgets and institutional changes, the author shows that the Chinese state has invested significantly more resources to enhance state capacity. This is reflected in the multi-fold increase in the budget of security-legal apparatus. Other institutions, such as foreign affairs offices and the United Front Work Department (UFWD), enjoy greater resources and political power. Greater state capacity has a direct impact on influence operations in terms of the State’s effective penetration into local society and enforcement of restrictions on the cross-border movement of Tibetans. At the same time, internal institutions such as foreign affairs offices and the UFWD engage in influence operations abroad, marking enhanced state capacity as a key shift. Investing in institutions responsible for dealing with domestic-diaspora linkages and proactive engagement with sections of diaspora and population in Nepal and India, China’s influence operations underline the urgency to address a key aspect of the Tibet question, facilitated by greater resources at home.