Understanding India-China Coverage Beyond the Headlines
India-China relations are defined by a paradox: China is simultaneously India's largest trade partner in goods and its most active border adversary. This complexity is poorly served by Indian media, which tends to oscillate between threat-focused coverage during border standoffs and near-silence during periods of diplomatic engagement. The Galwan Valley clash of June 2020, which killed 20 Indian soldiers, fundamentally altered media coverage — but the underlying reporting patterns remain problematic.
Most Indian outlets cover China through a security-first lens. The Line of Actual Control, PLA movements, and military infrastructure near Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh dominate coverage. What gets far less attention is the economic dimension: India imported over $100 billion worth of Chinese goods in recent years, Indian startups rely heavily on Chinese investment (even after the 2020 FDI restrictions), and Chinese companies manufacture components critical to India's electronics and pharmaceutical industries. This economic interdependence rarely makes prime-time news.
The Information Gap on China
India has remarkably few journalists with on-the-ground China expertise. After the 2020 standoff, the already limited journalist exchange between the two countries essentially froze. Most India-China coverage in Indian media is produced from Delhi newsrooms, relying on government briefings, think-tank analysis, and satellite imagery. Independent verification of LAC incidents is nearly impossible, which means readers are largely dependent on government narratives from both sides — neither of which is fully transparent.
What This Feed Covers
- LAC and border developments including infrastructure and troop movements
- India-China trade data, import dependencies, and economic decoupling efforts
- Technology competition including 5G, semiconductor, and app ban developments
- Diplomatic interactions at bilateral and multilateral forums like BRICS and SCO
- Chinese investments, influence operations, and strategic moves in South Asia
The India-China Tracker aggregates coverage from security-focused outlets, business publications, and international sources to give you a multidimensional view. When a border incident occurs, you see how India Today, The Hindu, Economic Times, and international agencies each report it — and where critical context about trade implications or diplomatic fallout is being left out.
