Former Indian Army Chief Says Understanding China Requires Deeper Research and Engagement

Former Indian Army Chief Manoj Naravane has acknowledged that understanding China remains a significant challenge, emphasizing the need for greater academic research and strategic study to better comprehend Beijing’s objectives and decision-making process.

Speaking about tensions along the China-India border, General Naravane said China operates through a distinct political and strategic system that is not always easy for outsiders to interpret.

“We tried several times to understand why China acted the way it did, but there was no clear answer,” he said, adding that multiple factors may have influenced developments at the time, including the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The former army chief stressed that more academic and policy-level research is needed to understand China’s political and strategic goals, suggesting that deeper engagement and analysis would help improve bilateral understanding.

Parts of General Naravane’s upcoming book have recently been published by the Indian magazine The Caravan, including accounts related to the 2020 China-India border clashes. The excerpts revisit the Galwan Valley incident in Ladakh, one of the most serious confrontations between the two countries in recent decades. According to official Indian figures, 20 Indian soldiers, including a colonel, were killed during the clash, which significantly heightened tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)