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Scores of Chinese nationals who had descended on Dhaka's streets, filming the Bangladeshi capital's impoverished working-class neighbourhoods and passing off the footage as scenes from New Delhi have disappeared from the area overnight, following media reports that exposed their activities and increased police surveillance. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also recently flagged their activities as "peddling of false narratives", while seeking action against them from Bangladeshi authorities.
A fresh report by Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo on Wednesday (November 11) said the Chinese nationals who had been livestreaming from Uttara's Sector 12 and adjoining Tekpara were no longer visible in the neighbourhood. The newspaper said its correspondents visited the areas, but did not spot any Chinese nationals filming.
India Today Digital had reported on the controversy on November 9, following reports by Bangladeshi outlets, including Prothom Alo, The Business Standard and Kaler Kantho.
The recent report suggested that the Chinese vloggers had stopped appearing in the neighbourhood from November 7. This was a day after the Dhaka-based Prothom Alo published its investigation, documenting the activities of more than 150 Chinese nationals.
Locals too said the vloggers had disappeared.
"This bridge was the Chinese people's base. They would make videos here all day and night. They would film us and the passengers too. I haven't seen them for some time now. I don't know if something has happened," a rickshaw puller, Imam ul Islam, told Prothom Alo.
Another resident, Mohammad Selim, said he had earlier seen several Chinese men and women visiting the neighbourhood every day to film videos.
The disappearance came amid increased scrutiny by Bangladeshi authorities following the media reports. Police and intelligence personnel began monitoring the Chinese nationals, checking their visas and passports and questioning why they were undertaking such activities on tourist visas.
Mohammad Khalid Mansur, officer-in-charge of Uttara West police station, told Prothom Alo that the activities had declined following the increased surveillance.
"Due to the activities of law enforcement agencies, such activities by Chinese nationals have decreased. Police and intelligence personnel are monitoring them. Their activities are being observed through various agencies," he said.
INDIA'S MEA FLAGS MISLEADING VIDEOS BY CHINESE VLOGGERS
The India Today Digital report on November 9 highlighted how Chinese nationals were livestreaming from Dhaka's low-income neighbourhoods while claiming to be broadcasting from India's capital and making disparaging remarks about Indian living conditions.
The controversy also drew a response from New Delhi. On November 10, a day after the India Today Digital report, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during his fortnightly press conference, said the Indian government had taken note of the Bangladeshi media reports and called for appropriate action against those involved.
Responding to a question at the MEA's weekly briefing, Jaiswal said, "It is unfortunate that people are using the territory of one country to malign another country."
He added that those involved in creating and propagating false narratives should understand that such activities also damage their own country's credibility.
"Those who are involved in this and those behind this are both culpable," Jaiswal said, adding that appropriate action should be taken against them.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Chinese vloggers reportedly livestreaming from slums in Dhaka, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "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."— ANI (@ANI) November 10, 2026
WHAT WERE THE CHINESE VLOGGERS DOING IN DHAKA?
The Chinese nationals had reportedly been filming in Dhaka's Uttara for several months, focusing on narrow lanes, residential areas, local shops and the homes of impoverished residents. Their footage was livestreamed on Chinese social media platforms, including WeChat and Douyin.
In its November 6 investigation, Prothom Alo identified a Chinese woman called Mianmian, who introduced Uttara's Sector 12 as New Delhi while describing its homes as dirty, underdeveloped and unhygienic.
Another Chinese national, identified as Wang Wei, was seen filming at tea stalls in Tekpara. He told viewers that locals were drinking tea made from "cow urine" and "dirty river water".
The purpose of the activity, however, remains unclear. Prothom Alo reported that some Bangladeshis were being paid to assist the vloggers. One Chinese national, identified as Fangyou, reportedly told the newspaper that the livestreams were part of product-promotion activities but declined to explain why the neighbourhoods had been selected.
An earlier report by The Business Standard in May had also documented Chinese vloggers filming in Dhaka's low-income settlements, with videos often carrying descriptions such as "poor", "dirty" and "slum".
Neither the Bangladeshi investigations nor the subsequent reporting established whether the vloggers were operating independently or as part of an organised campaign.
Western fascination with poverty in South Asia, particularly in India, is very well known. But the repackaging of footage from Dhaka's poorest neighbourhoods as being from India by Chinese vloggers raises questions. Are they trying to cash in on a social media trend or is it part of a coordinated disinformation campaign targeting India?
There's a fresh question now. Are these Chinese vloggers gone for good, or whether they have simply beaten a temporary retreat?
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