We often hear from Beijing that the world today is undergoing “changes unseen in a century,” and that opportunities and risks coexist. But what does the external environment actually look like from inside the Chinese system? If you were a policymaker or analyst in Beijing, how would you read the balance between threat and opportunity? In addition, who are the people that influence the thinking about China’s foreign policy? Is it entirely top-down? Or is there room for policy

The tariff war unleashed by Donald Trump targeting America’s allies, partners, and rivals jeopardised whatever little consensus that was beginning to take shape to counter China’s industrial overcapacity. By Amit Kumar, Manoj Kewalramani Read the full piece here

Xi Jinping will restructure the party to his ends while Mao was even ready to destroy it. By Surya Gangadharan

China looms large in our modern world — and yes, is misunderstood, or not understood at all. Manoj Kewalramani joins Amit Varma in episode 435 of The Seen and the Unseen to put together a primer on China, from ancient times through all the kingdoms through Mao and Deng to Xi and this present moment. Access the full podcast here

After five years of tensions, India–China relations have entered a phase of cautious and fragile re-engagement. The meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President Xi Jinping in Kazan in 2024 and Tianjin in 2025 signal a shared desire to stabilise bilateral ties. These gestures are unlikely to ease the deeper structural faultlines. Key among these is the asymmetry in the balance of power between the two countries, along with their respective relationships with th

The advent of Donald Trump as US president resulted in a disruptive 2025. China not only weathered the storm, it also indicated that it sees itself as the inheritor and reformer of the post-war institutional order. By Manoj Kewalramani To read the full piece, click here

Late in October, the Communist Party of China concluded the Fourth Plenary session of the 20th Central Committee. Plenums as critically important gatherings of the Party’s elite. This one outlined the vision for China’s overall development for the next five years. The nutshell version of the long document that was issued was that Xi Jinping’s leadership has taken China down the right path of development and amassing power. So, we should expect more of that—more continuity in