The New York Times published a thorough report on Saturday, August 5, detailing the connections between an American businessman Neville Roy Singham and the Chinese government as well as his financial support for NewsClick, an Indian leftist propaganda outlet. The investigation has revealed how a group of influence campaigns, media organizations, and shell companies were funded by China to propagate Chinese propaganda in India.

The report states that US billionaire Neville Roy Singham helped push Chinese propaganda worldwide through his network of nonprofits. Neville Singham is a self-proclaimed socialist and has been associated with progressive and left-wing causes since his youth. In the late 1980s, Neville Roy Singham established ThoughtWorks, a global technology consultant, and amassed wealth by working with some of the biggest companies in the world.

According to ThoughtWorks' website, its clients today range from the Australian airline Qantas and the German pharmaceutical firm Bayer to the news organization Thomson Reuters, the retail behemoth Walmart, and India's Axis Bank. In 2017, Singham reportedly paid well over $785 million for the company before selling it to a private equity entity.

Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans, runs Code Pink which advocates American pacifism and left-wing causes, while his son works for a left-wing think tank- Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research.

“From a think tank in Massachusetts to an event space in Manhattan, from a political party in South Africa to news organizations in India and Brazil, The Times tracked hundreds of millions of dollars to groups linked to Mr. Singham that mix progressive advocacy with Chinese government talking points.,” The New York Times reported.

Singham purportedly fought in the "smokeless war" waged by the Chinese Communist Party. In order to pass off propaganda as independent information, China increased the scope of its media operations, coordinated with media outlets, and fostered influencers. The research was the "first to unravel the funding and document Singham's ties to Chinese propaganda interests," claimed the report.

Notably, Indian news outlet NewsClick found mention in the report. “In New Delhi, corporate filings show, Mr. Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points. “China’s history continues to inspire the working classes,” one video said,” noted New York Times.

It cited a particular video that commemorated 70 years of China’s Maoist revolution, remarking that “China’s revolutionary history continues to inspire the working classes and people’s struggles across the world against capitalist exploitation and imperialist aggression.”

Singham currently resides in Shanghai and openly supports the CCP. “ … last month, Mr. Singham joined a Communist Party workshop about promoting the party internationally.,” NYT found.

Singham has denied any connections to the party or the administration, claiming that his acts are driven by his deeply held personal convictions. However, according to the NYT, the distinction between him and China's propaganda apparatus is "blurry".

Singham even shares office space in Shanghai with the Maku Group, “whose goal is to educate foreigners about ‘the miracles that China has created on the world stage.’” He has also given the group nearly $1.8 million in funding.

According to the New York Times, Singham is leading a coordinated Chinese effort, led by President Xi Jinping, to enlist global influencers to promote pro-China narratives as ostensibly independent content.

As per The New York Times, Singham furthered Chinese interests through a network of nonprofit organizations registered in the US.

“At its centre were four new nonprofits with dust-dry names like “United Community Fund” and “Justice and Education Fund.” They have almost no real-world footprints, listing their addresses only as UPS store mailboxes in Illinois, Wisconsin, and New York.,” NYT found.

From these nonprofits, “millions of dollars flowed around the world.,” The New York Times found.

Founded in 2009, NewsClick “is an independent media organisation” which has, “over the years, become one of India’s most consistent chroniclers of diverse people’s movements and struggles”, its website says.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a raid on the NewsClick office in New Delhi in 2021 and began an inquiry against the website based on strong evidence of money laundering. During the ED investigation, the search on PPK Newsclick Studio Private Limited's premises lasted 5 days and a total of 10 premises were covered, including the residence of Prabir Purkayastha, the promoter of the company.

The probe agency said PPK had received questionable foreign remittances amounting to Rs 38 crores. These remittances were classified as FDI of Rs 9.59 crore from April 2018, and the remaining Rs 28.29 crore, was claimed to have been received for receipts for “export of services.”

The funds were also distributed to several controversial journalists including Gautam Navlakha and associates of Teesta Setalvad.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Prabir Purkayastha along with his close associates Jason Pfetcher and Neville Roy Singham had infused an opaque foreign fund in PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd. It was also revealed that Purkayastha was in touch with Pfetcher and Singham since 2017.

After this revelation, Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur led the scathing attack on the Congress for rushing to the defense of NewsClick when the BJP had clearly revealed its pro-China tilt.

“Even newspapers like ‘The New York Times’ are now admitting that Neville Roy Singham and his NewsClick are dangerous tools of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and promoting China’s political agenda across the world. Much before NYT, India has long been telling the world that NewsClick is a dangerous global web of Chinese propaganda. Supported by like-minded forces, Neville has been furthering a dubious anti-India agenda,” Thakur said.

Thakur said that Congress and the entire Left-Liberal ecosystem came to NewsClick's defense back in the year 2021 when India's law enforcement agencies opened an investigation into the company on the basis of substantial evidence of money laundering.

“It is natural for the Congress to defend Neville and NewsClick because national interest never matters to its leadership. Isn't it the same Congress Party that signed an MoU with the CPC in the year 2008 to promote Chinese interest in India and allegedly accepted donations for the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) from the Chinese embassy?” asked Thakur.

Addressing the reporters on Monday, the Union Minster said that Congress, China, and NewsClick are part of an umbilical cord. “In Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Nakli Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’ Chinese goods can be seen clearly. His love for China can be seen. They were running an anti-India agenda…,” said Thakur.

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