Codeword ‘India’ figures over 100 times in major China data leak (IANS Special)

By Aarti Tikoo SinghNew Delhi/Canberra: India figured over 100 times in cryptic codewords in the leaked database of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) employees embedded in some of the biggest global companies and government agencies.

Around two million CCP members who secretly infiltrated in some of the worlds biggest corporations, banks, media groups, universities and government agencies, were exposed due to a massive data leak on Sunday.

Though the data was reportedly extracted by Chinese dissidents from a server in Shanghai in 2016 and leaked to an international bipartisan group, Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), but on Sunday it was shared with the international consortium of four media organisations -- The Australian, the UKs Mail, Belgiums De Standaard and a Swedish editor.Apart from the names of around two million CCP members, the leaked database -- exclusively accessed by IANS in India -- has details about their party position, birthdate, national ID number and ethnicity.

However, some details are encrypted in the database.Among the companies mentioned in the list are manufacturers like Boeing and Volkswagen, pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca, and banks like ANZ and HSBC.

As per the documents, around 600 people at HSBC, Standard Chartered banks are CCP members.Citibank, BNP Paribas, Hewlett-Packard, Mitsubishi, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Siemens, Ikea, Mercedes-Benz, Bank of America and other companies are also mentioned.

One of the Indian companies, Tatas Jaguar Land Rover has around 70 employees from the CCP.However, it is not clear from the database whether all these companies are aware of the fact that CCP members are working for them and if it is permissible under their respective code of conduct.But oddly, over 100 references to India, in codewords, surfaced in the database as well.

Cryptic names such as The Indian Army, Zhu India School, the founding of India, India Love Jane, Indian red, Indian eagle, India Xiaofu, Zhang India Tiger, Zhang India, Wei Gen India, India and Peace, Wang India, Inter-Indian steel, Kong Qing India, Sang Jia India, Indian eagle, Lu India sister, India wins, Indian temple root, Pan India Moon, India Xiaolei, India Guoping, India reached, Wang India, Zhou India Dream, Indo-Indian, India goes with the clock, Indian rain, Hua India Circuit Board Co., Ltd., appeared in the list.Similarly, India flies far away, Xu India, Indian talent, Indian temple red, India seven sisters, Indias big brother, India little sister, Hooper India, The ageing branch of The Indian Village, Indian comfort army, Ren Shuai India, Money in India, Indian Autumn Jubilee, India is a great country, The King of India, The Indian army is good were also mentioned.The database mentioned Zhou India, India patriotic, Indian autumn celery, India Xiaohua, Indian crane, Indo-Indian, India and China, No.116 Wang India Village, Huang India sister, Indian family, Lin India Moon, Indias foundation, Cheng India macro, India, Qian India village, India comforts the country, India also smells, Indian Army, Indias good talent, Cheng India macro, 72 East India Home, Royal Bridge Village Indian team West Indo-House Circle 1, 22 in the East India Circle of Yuqiao village.However, it was not clear what these references meant and whether these CCP members with names of India codewords, were based in India.

The government issued no statement on the data leak even as it was published widely abroad.Since Indian Army was mentioned a few times in the leaked database, IANS sought a reaction from the officials of the Indian Army in New Delhi.

The Army spokesperson said that they have nothing to say right now.Around 79,000 branches of the CCP have been set up within several companies where members, if called on, are answerable directly to the Communist Party and President Xi Jinping, The Australian said."It is believed to be the first leak of its kind in the world," The Australian journalist and Sky News host Sharri Markson said.

"Whats amazing about this database is not just that it exposes people who are members of the Communist Party, and who are now living and working all over the world, from Australia to the US to the UK, but its amazing because it lifts the lid on how the party operates under President and Chairman Xi Jinping," she added.