MAPPING CHINA'S MIGHT

The two books under review offer important new perspectives on China's rise since 1989. In the two decades under Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, China achieved spectacular economic growth, while keeping a relatively modest international profile in accordance with Deng Xiaoping's injunction to "hide our capacities and bide our time". That period came to an end when Xi Jinping decided that the time was ripe for China to follow a "proactive" foreign policy, conducting itself as an assertive, and even aggressive, superpower.

- Chandrashekhar Dasgupta

Gokhale, a former foreign secretary and ambassador to China, combines experience and scholarship with a rare gift for lucid exposition. Writing primarily for an Indian audience, he deftly sketches China's domestic politics, economic reforms and foreign policy since 1989, before proceeding to analyse shifts in India-China relations. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding China's rise and its implications for India.

In December 1988, India and China agreed to normalise bilateral relations, without making this conditional on a prior settlement of the boundary question. They also agreed to maintain peace and tranquility in the border regions, pending a final settlement. In 1993, the two countries concluded a formal agreement to give effect to this understanding. In 2003, it was decided to appoint special representatives to explore the framework for a boundary settlement. Yet, as Gokhale notes, Chinese "backsliding" on the boundary question was visible by 2005.