India keeps China in focus, appoints Gokhale as new FS -Governance Now

India keeps China in focus, appoints Gokhale as new FS

Gokhale as Jaishankar's successor fits India's plan to handle challenge from its northern neighbour

Shankar Kumar | January 3, 2018 | New Delhi

#Shyam Saran #Beijing #China #Jaishankar #Gokhale #Foreign secretary #Jawaharlal Nehru

Vijay Keshav Gokhale, foreign secretary (Photo: MEA)

With Vijay Keshav Gokhale being appointed as the next foreign secretary, India has continued with the trend of making mandarin speaking Chinese expert as the head of South Block.

In 2004, Shyam Saran, the then Indian ambassador to Nepal, was picked as the head of the staff of the ministry of the external affairs because he was a brilliant Chinese specialist who was familiar with China’s world view. He had served in Mauritius, Myanmar and Indonesia.

Similarly, before being appointed as Shyam Saran’s successor on September 1, 2006, Shivshankar Menon was the head of the Indian mission in Beijing. He was also a known Chinese specialist.

Nirupama Rao, India’s second woman foreign secretary after Chokila Iyer, was the Chinese specialist who had helmed the country’s diplomatic mission in China from October 2006 to July 2009. In the intervening period from August 1, 2009 to January 15, 2015, South Block was headed by foreign secretaries such as Ranjan Mathai and Sujatha Singh who were neither in India’s mission in Beijing as ambassadors nor did they belong to exclusive club of Chinese specialists.

But again Sujatha Singh’s successor and current foreign secretary S Jaishankar belongs to that Chinese specialist pedigree, who had also had his ambassadorial stint in Beijing.

Gokhale, a 1981-batch Indian Foreign Service officer who is currently secretary economic relations in the MEA, will be in South Block’s hot seat from January 28. He was India’s ambassador to China from January 20, 2016 to October 21, 2017. He has the rare distinction of serving in Hong Kong and in Taiwan as the director general of India Taipei Association. He is said to have played a crucial role in resolving the fractious 73-day long standoff between India and China at Doklam.

Overall Gokhale is among the 23 diplomats who have had their ambassadorial stints in Beijing since the 1950s. However, R K Nehru, India’s first prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru’s relative, became ambassador to China after demitting his office as foreign secretary in October 1955. He was the second foreign secretary of India. Nonetheless, by appointing 58-year-old Gokhale as the new foreign secretary, the incumbent Narendra Modi government has made it clear that its priority in external policy front will be China.

Comments

Other News

“India AI Impact Expo a powerful convergence of ideas, innovation & intent”

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed the India AI Impact Expo 2026 as a powerful convergence of ideas, innovation, and intent. Sharing highlights of the event’s inauguration, he said the Expo, which got underway here on Monday, highlighted the extraordinary potential of Indian talent in sha

BMC polls: 24% winners have declared criminal cases against themselves

As many as 54 (or 24%) out of the 227 winning candidates of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Maharashtra Election Watch. As many as 29 (13

PM`s first decisions from Seva Teerth reflect spirit of Seva

In his very first set of decisions after shifting to Seva Teerth, the new address of the PMO, PM Narendra Modi signed important files relating to decisions that reflect the spirit of Seva. These decisions touch every section of society: farmers, women, youth, and vulnerable citizens. 1.

AI@Work: Driving productivity, jobs, and innovation

Key Takeaways India ranks 3rd in Stanford University`s 2025 Global AI Vibrancy Ranking. Data infrastructure, entrepreneurship and demography are key enablers for AI adoption. In India the relative penetration of AI skills was 2.5 ti

Urban Blind Spot: Animals, governance, and the cost of ignoring coexistence

India’s cities are expanding at an unprecedented pace, absorbing people, infrastructure, and economic activity at scale. What urban governance frameworks have been slower to absorb is a reality already playing out on the ground: animals are an inseparable part of urban life. From community dogs and p

How India uses AI in the field of culture and languages

* India is institutionalising AI for culture and languages through national platforms such as BHASHINI, Anuvadini, Gyan Bharatam and Adi Vaani etc. * AI is being used to make cultural and knowledge assets usable by digitisation of manuscripts, translation of academic content, and in