India on Monday named Vijay Keshav Gokhale, a former ambassador to China, as its new foreign secretary – a move that seems to be in line with the country’s focus on relations with China, an expert said.
Cheng Xizhong, a researcher at the Chinese Association for South Asian Studies, said the appointment shows the Indian government attaches great importance to the affairs of China.
Gokhale will take over from incumbent S. Jaishankar when he completes his tenure on Jan 28, according to a notification issued by the Indian Ministry of Personnel.
Indian newspaper The Hindu said Gokhale is proficient in Chinese and has wide experience of dealing with East Asian countries. He was widely credited with conducting delicate but tough diplomatic negotiations in Beijing during the Donglang crisis, as his proposal in talks “led to a peaceful resolution”, according to the report.
Ashok Kantha, who was Gokhale’s predecessor at the Institute for Chinese Studies, told The Hindu that Gokhale “has an outstanding proven track record in dealing with the neighborhood”.
Born in 1959, he served as India’s ambassador to China from January 2016 to October 2017. He earlier served as China and East Asia issues director and subsequently as secretary in economic relations in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Gokhale is the fourth among the past six Indian foreign secretaries to have a background of serving as an ambassador to China. Cheng said this is in line with the Indian government’s strategy of considering its largest neighboring country as an important partner in its foreign affairs.
“Sino-Indian relations are an important part of the relations between China and its neighboring countries. As a neighbor to China, as well as the second largest country in population, India’s foreign policy matters to China in many aspects, including border territories and economic and trade issues,” said Cheng.
India’s foreign secretary is the country’s top diplomat for foreign relations and the head of staff in the Ministry of External Affairs. Cheng said it is expected that the new appointee, with abundant experience in China, can strive for a better relationship between the two countries.
