Spy In The Sky – China’s espionage balloons or espionage ships are part of an aggressive strategy that can target India too

Source: The post is based on the article “Spy In The Sky – China’s espionage balloons or espionage ships are part of an aggressive strategy that can target India too” published in The Times of India on 6th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – India and its neighbourhood- relations.

Relevance: About Chinese espionage capabilities.

News: Recently, the US forces shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the US coast. There are reports that a second spy balloon is already flying over Central and South America. This has strained relations between the US and China and has larger implications for India-China relations.

Why Chinese espionage capabilities is a cause of worry for Global nations, particularly India?

a) The recent one wasn’t the first Chinese surveillance balloon to be detected but was the most sophisticated one. Hence, Chinese spy tech is getting increasingly sophisticated.

b) Last year’s docking of a Chinese spy ship masquerading as a research vessel at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port was another example of Beijing’s growing espionage capabilities.

c) Chinese definitions of government and civilian assets are superficial. For instance, the Chinese mentioned the balloon as a weather-monitoring device and the 2020 investigation revealed a Chinese technology firm was harvesting data on more than 10,000 influential individuals in India.

What should be done to address Chinese espionage capabilities?

a) All cooperation with Chinese civilian agencies and businesses needs to be seen with the security of the state, b) India needs to upgrade its hi-tech counter-espionage measures, and c) the Indian government is in urgent need to step up counter-intelligence cooperation with the US and other likeminded democracies to counter China’s plans.