EVENTS

Decoding China: Hard Perspectives from India (2024) offers a timely and incisive exploration of China’s rise as one of the most consequential geopolitical developments of the past four decades. Edited by Ambassador Ashok K. Kantha, the volume brings together perspectives from twenty-one experienced scholars, diplomats and military officials, providing a grounded and multifaceted assessment of China’s trajectory under Xi Jinping. The book highlights China’s global ambitions, domestic challenges, and military developments, presenting a rigorous yet accessible analysis of both internal transformations and external behaviour. It critically examines the idea of China’s “national rejuvenation” while situating it within shifting global power dynamics. The book unpacks strategic challenges posed to India and the international order- serving as an important resource for understanding contemporary China and its evolving role in global geopolitics. The panel discussion will engage with the wide-ranging themes and analytical perspectives presented in the volume- The Tibet Question by Jayadeva Ranade, China and West Asia by Ambassador Anil Trigunayat, China after 20th Party Congress: Political, Economic and Technological Developments by Ananth Krishnan and Impact of Zero Covid Policy on China by Santosh Pai.

Panellists

Ambassador Anil Trigunayat is a former career diplomat with over three decades of experience, having represented India across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, including Russia and the United States. He was Ambassador to Jordan, Libya, and Malta before retiring in 2016. He is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation and the United Services Institution of India, focusing on West Asia, Africa, and Russia. A prolific writer and commentator, he has authored numerous articles and books on foreign policy and economic diplomacy, and continues to engage with academia, industry, and strategic communities.

Jayadeva Ranade is President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy and former Member of the National Security Advisory Board. He retired as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India in 2008. A China specialist with over 45 years of experience, he has served in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Washington, DC. He is associated with leading think tanks including Centre for Air Power Studies and Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. His most recent book ‘China: The Hardening State’ was published in August 2025 published by KW publishers PVT LTD.

Santosh Pai is a dual-qualified cross-border lawyer offering legal services to clients within the India-China corridor. He holds a B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) degree from NLSIU, Bangalore, LL.M. (Chinese law) from Tsinghua University, Beijing and an MBA from Vlerick University, Belgium. He is currently a partner at Dentons Link Legal, an Indian law firm. He is a member of CII's Core Group on China, and Treasurer and Member of the Governing Council at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. His major research interests include India-China economic ties, comparative law and policy, and cross-cultural negotiations. In addition to the book under discussion he has also contributed a chapter in China: Indian Perspectives on China’s Politics, Economy, and Foreign Relations (The Hindu Group, 2025).

Ananth Krishnan is Director and China correspondent for The Hindu Group. He has reported from Beijing and Hong Kong over several stints since 2009, and has spent more than a decade in China. He is an Asia Global Fellow at the University of Hong Kong and a former Visiting Fellow at Brookings India. He is the author of India's China Challenge: A Journey Through China's Rise and What It Means for India, published by HarperCollins, Following the Money: China Inc's Growing Stake in India-China Relations, published by The Brookings Institution, and co-author along with Stanly Johny of The Comrades and the Mullahs: China, Afghanistan and the New Asian Geopolitics, published by HarperCollins published in 2022.

Moderator

Ambassador Ashok K. Kantha is a former career diplomat who served as Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs and Ambassador/High Commissioner to China, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. He is presently Subhas Chandra Bose Chair Professor of International Relations at Chanakya University, Bangalore; Distinguished Fellow at Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi; Distinguished Fellow, Council for Strategic and Defence Research, New Delhi; and Honorary Fellow and former Director (2017-22) of the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. In his diplomatic career, Kantha specialised in India’s neighbourhood and extended neighbourhood with a particular focus on China and South Asia.

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