THE VIEW FROM THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

ON WHETHER THE CHINESE SYSTEM WILL LEAD TO AN ASIAN AND GLOBAL ORDER MARKED BY CHINESE HEGEMONY, SARAN IS SCEPTICAL

- Andrew Small

The most impressive concentration of China expertise in India has often been found in the upper echelons of the Ministry of External Affairs. A striking cluster of the figures who shaped Indian foreign policy in the last two decades benefited from deep experience in Beijing. They informed a sophisticated debate on China at the government’s top levels that was often worlds removed from the wider public discourse. That gap is closing. Shyam Saran’s new book is not only valuable in its own right but forms part of a notable collection of scholarship from MEA China hands published recently. While touching on the Sino-Indian relationship, the greater value is in demystifying China itself: distilling its history, politics and strategic culture with sharpness and clarity, and creating the conditions for a richer public discussion about India’s most potent adversary.