The India-China relationship is under major strain. A deadly border clash in June 2020 plunged bilateral ties to their lowest level in decades, and multiple rounds of dialogue since then have failed to resolve border tensions. What are the roots of these tensions, and what can history teach us about where things stand with the relationship today?

In her new book, The Fractured Himalaya, Nirupama Rao, a former Indian foreign secretary and ambassador to China, argues that understanding the early period of India-China relations, from 1949 to 1962, is essential for making sense of the present. Drawing on archival material from China, Great Britain, India, and the United States, and on the personal knowledge of Rao, one of India’s sharpest observers of China, The Fractured Himalaya focuses on the complex diplomacy and negotiations between the two countries during a critical period that culminated in a border war. At this event, Rao will discuss her book and how it can help inform thinking about contemporary India-China relations.

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