Recent reports have emerged that a group of Chinese vloggers and livestreamers are filming in impoverished neighbourhoods of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and falsely presenting the locations as parts of New Delhi, India.
The vloggers are broadcasting footage from Dhaka neighbourhoods while making derogatory remarks about India’s living conditions, sanitation, food habits and poverty.
This raises serious concerns about the deliberate misrepresentation of geographical locations and the potential use of misleading digital content to create negative perceptions about India among international audiences.
The issue also highlights the growing challenge of misinformation and image manipulation on social media platforms, where sensationalised content can reach large audiences before its authenticity is verified.
Incidents point to a recurring pattern
There have been reports that around 150 Chinese nationals have been involved in filming and livestreaming in the Tekpara and Uttara localities of Dhaka. The activity appears to have continued for several months, with streamers reportedly operating from early morning until late at night.
* One Chinese national identified as ‘Mianmian’, who claimed to be from China’s Sichuan province, was reportedly seen livestreaming beside a canal in Sector 12 of Uttara, Dhaka, on November 1. While showing the neighbourhood to her online audience, she introduced the location as New Delhi, India, and described the houses and surrounding area as dirty, underdeveloped and unhygienic. The incident raises concerns not only about the deliberate misrepresentation of Bangladesh’s geographical locations as Indian territory but also the misleading portrayals of India’s urban living conditions among international audiences.
* Another Chinese national, while livestreaming from tea stalls in the Tekpara area of Dhaka, made a derogatory remark claiming that the tea consumed by local residents was prepared using “cow urine”. The videos contain disparaging commentary about the living conditions of local residents, with repeated references to poor hygiene, inadequate sanitation and substandard lifestyles.
* The recent reports are not an isolated incident, as reports of Chinese content creators filming in Dhaka’s economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods have been emerging since May 2026 in these areas.
* According to reports, a local Bangladeshi guide, Ritu Akhter, has stated that she earned between Tk 700 and Tk 800 per day for assisting the Chinese nationals. She also indicated that other local women were engaged in similar work. These accounts suggest that the activity may have a commercial component involving livestreaming, audience engagement and product promotion.
The chronology indicates that the repeated presence of Chinese content creators in the same low-income neighbourhoods, coupled with allegations of geographical misrepresentation and intrusive filming, suggests a continuing pattern to target India’s international image.
Platforms used
The Chinese nationals are reportedly broadcasting through Chinese social media platforms, particularly:
* Douyin, China’s domestic short-video platform.
* WeChat, China’s messaging and social networking platform.
Coordinated anti-India campaign
The available reports clearly suggest a coordinated anti India campaign. The central issue is not simply the filming of poverty, but the deliberate attribution of another country’s locations and living conditions to India, accompanied by derogatory commentary that could influence perceptions of Indian society among international audiences.