Background and Status of Prior Submissions
Since 2023, the Helpful Foundation has consistently reported suspected Chinese espionage–related activities linked to research institutions and individuals operating under academic and policy-oriented cover.
Our first report, forwarded by the President’s Secretariat to the Ministry of Home Affairs vide Letter No. P1/E/1904230231 dated 19.04.2023, has reportedly become non-traceable / missing, raising concerns about procedural lapses in matters directly affecting national security.
Despite this, the Foundation has continued to submit follow-up representations, driven by a constitutional duty to protect India’s sovereignty and strategic interests.
2. Core Concern: Foreign Intelligence–Linked Think Tank Operations
The present grievance highlights the alleged role of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), which is widely described in open-source intelligence and academic literature as a front organisation linked to the 11th Bureau of the Ministry of State Security (MSS).
CICIR is understood to function as a research body that:
- Engages with foreign diplomats, scholars, and institutions,
- Produces strategic research on political, military, and security affairs, and
- Submits its findings directly to departments of the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
If such activities are conducted with covert intelligence objectives, they pose a direct threat to India’s national security ecosystem.
3. Individuals Named in the Grievance
The Foundation has raised concerns regarding Hu Shisheng and Wang Jun, described as members/researchers associated with CICIR.
According to available material:
- Their research focuses on South Asian affairs, India’s internal security environment, ethnic issues, and regional geopolitics.
- They reportedly submitted analytical reports to their departments assessing India’s national security posture.
It is alleged that their work specifically examined the absence of a publicly declared National Security Strategy (NSS) document by the Government of India and attempted to reconstruct India’s strategic thinking through indirect analysis.
These assertions are allegations and are placed for verification by competent Indian authorities.
4. Focus of the Disputed Research
The research attributed to CICIR-linked individuals reportedly analyses India’s national security framework under three broad heads:
4.1 Fundamental Pursuits of India’s National Security Strategy
- Preservation of sovereignty and territorial integrity
- Internal stability and social cohesion
- Strategic autonomy in foreign and defence policy
4.2 Three Origins of India’s National Security Strategy
- Historical experiences and civilizational continuity
- Post-independence strategic culture and non-alignment
- Contemporary geopolitical pressures, especially in the Indo-Pacific
4.3 Concrete Practice of India’s National Security Strategy
- Border management and military preparedness
- Diplomatic balancing among major powers
- Internal security mechanisms and intelligence coordination
The Foundation submits that foreign intelligence–linked reconstruction of such strategic thinking, even in the absence of official documents, may expose sensitive vulnerabilities.
5. Institutional Accountability and Clarification
In its representations, the Helpful Foundation has sought clarification regarding interactions, policy decisions, and oversight mechanisms involving senior officials, including former NSA Shivshankar Menon and current NSA Ajit Doval.
These references are made solely to seek institutional transparency and accountability, not to impute guilt or intent. Only an authorised inquiry can establish facts.
6. What the Helpful Foundation Seeks
In the interest of India’s national security, the Helpful Foundation respectfully requests:
- Traceability and acknowledgment of all earlier submissions and enclosures.
- A multi-agency examination by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, and relevant intelligence oversight bodies.
- Clear policy guidelines regulating foreign-funded think tanks, research collaborations, and access to Indian strategic communities.
- Appropriate public disclosure, wherever permissible, to reinforce citizens’ confidence in national security safeguards.
Conclusion
India’s national security depends on vigilance, institutional integrity, and timely action. The concerns outlined above are submitted for due examination, verification, and lawful inquiry, in keeping with democratic accountability and constitutional values.
The Helpful Foundation reiterates that its sole objective is to safeguard India’s sovereignty, strategic autonomy, and national security, and respectfully urges the Government of India to take all necessary steps in this regard.