India reacted strongly on Tuesday to reports of Chinese influencers filming videos in Bangladesh and passing them off as depictions of India, calling on authorities in Beijing and Dhaka to take action against those involved in presenting a “distorted picture” of the country.

Reports in the Bangladesh media said scores of Chinese vloggers and influencers were involved in a campaign of shooting videos in the impoverished neighbourhoods of Uttara and Tekpara in Dhaka and passing off their broadcasts as originating in New Delhi.

We have seen media reports in this regard. Such efforts to present a distorted picture of any country are unfortunate,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said when he was asked about the activities of Chinese influencers in Dhaka.

“Insofar as efforts by foreign elements to portray parts of Dhaka as Delhi are concerned, peddling of false narratives only undermines the credibility of those who are undertaking such actions and those who are behind them. We would urge that authorities concerned must take action against such people,” he said.

People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that there has been a surge in anti-India content on China-based platforms in recent months. This coincided with a large number of Chinese influencers seeking Indian visas in Beijing, with most applications being rejected, the people said.

“It appears that the Chinese vloggers have turned to Bangladesh after being unable to enter India,” one person said.