In the second episode of a special three-part interview series on 'Understanding China', Mr Vijay Gokhale, a distinguished former diplomat who has previously served as India's Foreign Secretary as well as India's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China (PRC), spoke to Ishan Dhar about China’s overarching economic strategy, internal challenges facing China’s economy, the potential impact of the return of President Trump, and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Mr. Vijay Gokhale discusses President Xi Jinping’s structural reforms aimed at tightening the Chinese Communist Party's control over the People's Liberation Army amidst ongoing mistrust between the CCP and the military which remains a ‘perennial point of tension’. Watch the full interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/tXjeCJcy_Nw?si=oFuAKVT3tgCYv0wf

Mr. Vijay Gokhale, who has previously served as India's Foreign Secretary as well as India's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China (PRC), provides insightful commentary on the modernization of China's military and its strategic overseas infrastructure developments , particularly targeting the Indian Ocean. His observations are crucial for understanding China's growing ability to project power in the region. Watch the full interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/tXjeCJcy_Nw?si=oFuAKVT3tgCYv0wf

Mr. Vijay Gokhale discusses how China identifies its adversaries specifically in the face of existential threats,such as the United States historically during the Korean and Indo-China crises and how there are indications of the United States being perceived as an existential adversary by China once again in contemporary times. Watch the full interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/tXjeCJcy_Nw?si=oFuAKVT3tgCYv0wf

Mr. Vijay Gokhale addresses the intricate structure of governance within the People's Republic of China (PRC), highlighting the dual-track system that characterizes its political framework. This ‘parallel structure’ ensures that the Chinese Communist Party remains connected to state institutions such as the executive, judiciary and legislature, and that the party’s view always takes precedence over that of the state, all the while functioning as two separate institutions. Watch the full interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/tXjeCJcy_Nw?si=oFuAKVT3tgCYv0wf

Mr. Vijay Gokhale, an esteemed former diplomat, breaks down the reasons behind why the People's Liberation Army is considered the Chinese Communist Party’s military and not that of the Chinese nation-state, highlighting this important distinction and its implications. Watch the full interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/tXjeCJcy_Nw?si=oFuAKVT3tgCYv0wf

Watch the full interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/tXjeCJcy_Nw?si=oFuAKVT3tgCYv0wf

Watch the full interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/tXjeCJcy_Nw?si=oFuAKVT3tgCYv0wf