Unfortunate: India Slams Chinese Vloggers For Portraying Dhaka Slums As Delhi, Urges Action

India has criticised Chinese vloggers accused of filming in impoverished neighbourhoods of Dhaka and falsely portraying them as parts of New Delhi, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) calling the alleged attempts to spread misleading narratives “unfortunate” and urging authorities to take action.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed the issue during a weekly press briefing on Tuesday, November 10, saying India had taken note of media reports about the alleged activity.

“We have seen media reports in this regard. Such efforts to present a distorted picture of any country are unfortunate. Insofar as efforts to buy foreign elements to portray Dhaka as Delhi are concerned, the peddling of false narratives only undermines the credibility of those who are undertaking such actions and those who are behind them. And I would urge the authorities concerned to take action against such people,” Jaiswal said.

The controversy follows reports that Chinese vloggers and livestreamers have been recording videos in some of Dhaka's poorest neighbourhoods while allegedly presenting the locations as areas in Delhi. The videos reportedly feature derogatory remarks about India's living conditions, sanitation, food habits and poverty.

According to Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo, the activity has been reported in Sector 12 of Uttara and the adjoining Tekpara area of Dhaka. Local residents estimate that more than 150 Chinese nationals have been involved in filming videos in these neighbourhoods.

The vloggers reportedl y walk through narrow lane s and residential streets carrying two mobile phones, livestreaming for several hours. Some have also allegedly entered people's homes to record footage, raising concerns among residents about privacy and how the videos are being presented to online audiences.

The recordings have reportedly been taking place for several months, triggering growing resentment among local residents. Many have questioned where the footage is being circulated and whether the locations and people featured in the videos are being represented accurately.

A Chinese national identified as Fangyou told Prothom Alo that the livestreams were part of product promotion activities on WeChat. Meanwhile, Ritu Akhter, a Bangladeshi woman working as a guide for the Chinese nationals, said the vloggers also earned money by uploading videos to platforms such as Douyin, China's version of TikTok.