On China Reflections on Chinese Statecraft

This volume brings together a carefully curated selection of essays by Jagat Mehta, an Indian Sinophile and distinguished member of the Indian Foreign Service who retired as foreign secretary. Written in the 1960s for colleagues within the ministry, these essays emerge from a fraught moment in India-China relations, as the Indian establishment grappled with the aftermath of the 1962 war and the persistence of Chinese hostility. What Mehta offers is not merely commentary, but a form of historical analysis whose value endures, illuminating both the China of his time and the China we continue to confront today. His work also opens a rare window into Cold War-era Indian strategic thought, making this volume an important resource for scholars and students of archival history. At its core, this is a study in ideas—on Chinese history and society, governance, and the long arc of its grand strategy to reclaim its central place as the Middle Kingdom (zhongguo). Yet, the significance of this reader extends beyond China. It invites reflection on India’s own strategic culture, raising questions about how ideas are formed, sustained, and sometimes lost within institutions. Drawing on declassified materials and the quiet labour of diplomacy, it offers a rare glimpse into the making of policy—one that will engage scholars, practitioners, and a wider readership alike.