Vijay Gokhale

Vijay Gokhale has served in India’s Ministry of External Affairs for 39 years in various capacities. He retired as India’s 32nd Foreign Secretary in 2020, holding that position from January 2018 to January 2020. Prior to his tenure as Foreign Secretary, Vijay Gokhale was India’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China between January 2016 and October 2017. He has also been the Indian Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany from October 2013 to January 2016, High Commissioner to Malaysia from January 2010 to October 2013. Vijay Gokhale has also held key positions at the MEA’s East Asia Division, including as the joint secretary (Director General) for East Asia. Vijay Gokhale is one of India’s leading experts on China. He is the author of three widely-acclaimed books - Tiananmen Square: The Making of a Protest (2021), The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate with India (2021) and After Tiananmen: The Rise of China (2022).