{
  "id": 2966341,
  "title": "Why Indian intelligence-gathering against China could lead to miscalculation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/why-indian-intelligence-gathering-against-china-could-lead-to-2966341",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T06:34:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3365026/why-indian-intelligence-gathering-against-china-could-lead-miscalculation"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Indian intelligence agencies are increasingly labeling Chinese actions as threats, according to a Chinese academic, potentially leading to miscalculations by New Delhi, the researcher warns. Zhao Ruoxi, who published a paper in July in the Chinese-language Journal of Intelligence, suggests India's intelligence gathering of China has intensified since 2020, following a deadly border clash that killed 24 soldiers. Zhao highlights China's growing influence in South Asia, its focus on emerging technologies, and naval activities in the Indian Ocean as key areas under Indian scrutiny. India has expanded its intelligence tools, employing space-based reconnaissance, drones, and cyber intelligence to monitor Beijing, and formed partnerships with the U.S. and Middle Eastern nations to track China's naval operations and exert pressure on its maritime energy routes. However, Zhao notes this heavy reliance on foreign data creates \"structural weaknesses\" that make India's assessments of China susceptible to external influences. Despite recent improvements in bilateral relations, with resumed border patrols and the reopening of direct flights, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged in Tianjin that border issues should not define the relationship. Zhao warns this intensified Indian intelligence could push China to bolster its information security and disrupt Beijing's diplomatic efforts with South Asian countries. She stresses that a heightened risk of miscalculation exists as India's intelligence activities against China grow, as Beijing's actions are increasingly framed as threats.",
  "summary": "Routine Chinese activities are increasingly being framed as threats by Indian intelligence agencies, raising the risk of New Delhi miscalculating and taking “unilateral countermeasures” against Beijing, a Chinese academic has warned. India has stepped up intelligence-gathering as ties with neighbouring China turned sour in recent years, according to Zhao Ruoxi, a researcher with the Macau…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Why Indian intelligence-gathering against China could lead to miscalculation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/why-indian-intelligence-gathering-against-china-could-lead-to",
        "published": "2026-08-24T06:34:24.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Typhoon Narra wreaks havoc in China, Vietnam as rains lead to floods",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/typhoon-narra-wreaks-havoc-in-china-vietnam-as-rains-lead-to-floods",
        "published": "2026-08-24T11:03:33.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}