Abstract
India’s North East Region (NER) is being drawn into a geopolitical chokehold as China weaves an encirclement arc through Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Pakistan under the benign tag of development, secu Crity, civilisational, and governance dialogue. Through its four Global Initiatives (GI), launched in quick succession between 2021 and 2025, Beijing leverages political turmoil in India’s land‑border neighbours to convert governance vacuums into ports, corridors, digital infrastructure and “people‑to‑people” mechanisms that normalise a Chinese footprint along the Bay of Bengal and around the Siliguri Corridor. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to the West, the China-Bangladesh-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CBMEC) and the Gwadar–Kyaukpyu–Chittagong–Payra chain to the East, together with China’s expanding footprints in Nepal, now provide almost continuous Chinese access, while military diplomacy, arms dependence, surveillance systems, Confucius‑linked platforms and HUMINT activities weaponise Global South and civilisational narratives to map key networks, shape local discourse and quietly cultivate assets to invisibly augment influence without raising red flags.
