experts
Vijay Gokhale
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Carnegie India

about


Vijay Gokhale is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie India. He retired from the Indian Foreign Service in January 2020 after a diplomatic career that spanned thirty-nine years. From January 2018 to January 2020, he served as the foreign secretary of India.

Prior to his term as foreign secretary, he had served as India’s high commissioner to Malaysia from January 2010 to October 2013, as ambassador of India to the Federal Republic of Germany from October 2013 to January 2016, and as ambassador of India to the People’s Republic of China from January 2016 to October 2017. He has served as head of the India-Taipei Association, in Taiwan, from July 2003 to January 2007. During his time in the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs, he has also worked in key positions in the East Asia Division, including as the joint secretary (Director General) for East Asia from March 2007 to December 2009.

He has worked extensively on matters relating to the Indo-Pacific region with a special emphasis on Chinese politics and diplomacy. Since his retirement from the Foreign Service, Gokhale has contributed opinion pieces to the New York Times, Foreign Policy, Times of India, the Hindu, the Indian Express, and Handelsblatt. He has written four books on China, namely Tiananmen Square: The Making of a Protest (2021), The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate with India (2021), After Tiananmen: The Rise of China (2022), and Crosswinds: Nehru, Zhou and the Anglo-American Competition over China (2024).

He lives in Pune, India and is also a distinguished faculty at the Symbiosis International University in Pune, since January 2021.

He speaks English, Hindi, Marathi, and Mandarin Chinese. He did a master’s degree in History from the University of Delhi in 1980. He studied Mandarin Chinese at the Chinese University of Hongkong in 1983-84.


affiliations
education
MA, History, University of Delhi; BA, History, University of Delhi
languages
English, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, Marathi

All work from Vijay Gokhale

filters
66 Results
podcast
Bridging East and West: India’s Pursuit of Stability Amid China, Russia, and U.S. Dynamics

In this episode of Interpreting India, host Rudra Chaudhuri engages in an in-depth conversation with Vijay Gokhale and D. B. Venkatesh Varma on India’s evolving diplomatic landscape amid complex global shifts. They discuss recent developments in India-China relations, including limited re-engagement efforts along the border following the BRICS Summit.

· October 31, 2024
In The Media
in the media
Himalayan Detente

India-China border pact resumes political dialogue, reducing chances of another mishap. But trust remains in short supply. Rebuilding it will require much work from Beijing.

· October 29, 2024
Times of India
In The Media
in the media
Can India Play in the Premier League?

World's centre of economic & political gravity is shifting but the to-do list for New Delhi to become more consequential is forbidding.

· September 11, 2024
The Times of India
In The Media
in the media
Need Fresh Start with China: Former Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale

Four years after the Galwan clash, India-China relations remain strained, with unresolved issues along the LAC. Vijay Gokhale emphasizes the need for renewed efforts to rebuild ties, which have faltered since the incident.

· August 18, 2024
StratNewsGlobal
event
Geopolitics Today: The State of the World
March 21, 2024

Carnegie India is hosting a book talk of Crosswinds: Nehru, Zhou and the Anglo-American Competition over China by Vijay Gokhale, to be followed by a panel discussion on “Geopolitics Today: The State of the World”.

  • +2
In The Media
in the media
Careful, it’s the Year of Dragon

When the quinquennial electoral cycle concludes by middle of 2024, India will turn its attention to new policy priorities. China, presumably, would be one of these.

· February 20, 2024
Times of India
podcast
Vijay Gokhale on Crosswinds of History: India, China, and the Cold War's Hidden Game

This episode dives into the history of India's relationship with China during the first decade of the People's Republic of China's existence (1949-1959). It explores how India navigated the complex geopolitical landscape amidst the "forgotten" competition between the declining British Empire and the emerging superpower, the United States.

· February 1, 2024
In The Media
in the media
‘China May Have Concluded India is now Tilting to the U.S.’

Vijay Gokhale speaks with Ananth Krishnan about his book 'Cross Winds: Nehru, Zhou And The Anglo-American Competition Over China' and present-day relations between China and India.

· January 24, 2024
The Hindu
REQUIRED IMAGE
book
Crosswinds: Nehru, Zhou and the Anglo-American Competition over China

This book, based on archival material, outlines India’s efforts to craft a foreign policy in the context of the Anglo–American competition in the Far East. The roles played by the towering personalities of that era are woven into the narrative to paint a picture of the nuts and bolts of Indian diplomacy during the early years of the nation.

· January 22, 2024
Penguin Random House
paper
Stabilizing the Border: A Possible Way Ahead in the Post-Galwan Situation

This paper examines the reasons why existing agreements and measures between India and China to preserve peace and tranquility along the LAC were not entirely successful, how both sides may deal with border stabilization in the post-2020 scenario, and the possible options for India to build back a framework for peace and tranquility along the border areas.

· December 15, 2023