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Reference

Kantha, A. (2025). Decoding China: Hard Perspectives from India Bloomsbury India. https://www.bloomsbury.com/in/decoding-china-9789361316739/

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https://www.youtube.com/@weekendresearcher

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🎙️ Welcome, everyone, to "Revise and Resubmit" — your go-to show for that irresistible mix of bookish curiosity and sharp, no-nonsense conversation. Today’s episode is the "Weekend Book Review," and we’re taking a deep dive into the dazzling, dramatic, and sometimes dangerous story of modern China. Welcome to the party, fellow readers! 🚀

This week, we’ve got a book that's as wide as the Himalayas and as deep as the South China Sea. "Decoding China: Hard Perspectives from India," published just this August by Bloomsbury India, is not your usual weekend read. No, this one’s packed. It roars. It asks big questions, sometimes in short, sharp bursts, sometimes in winding, epic sentences that echo the sweep of history — the kind Gary Provost would craft and smile at. 📚✨

Let’s talk about the editor, Ambassador Ashok Kantha, the steady hand behind this volume. He is a man who has spent nearly four decades in the thick of diplomacy, specializing in Asian affairs, three separate postings in China, and an advanced certificate in Chinese language for good measure. From New Delhi to Hong Kong, from Sri Lanka to the USA, Kantha has been there, has seen it, has shaped the dialogue. Who better to bring together insights from 21 of the sharpest minds — diplomats, military pros, scholars — all with ringside seats to China’s breathtaking rise?

This book? It’s not just about China. It’s about India’s gaze. It’s about power and risk, about ambition and anxiety. It’s a symphony of essays — some short and punchy, some long and tempestuous — that track China’s big picture, global ambitions, domestic puzzles, and military dreams. Each section raises new questions. Each chapter splits open the headlines and lets the stories, and the stakes, tumble out. 🌏🔍

So here’s where you come in. What does it really mean, for India, for the world, when two giants share a border and a destiny — but not always the same dreams? Why does China’s ‘rejuvenation’ keep diplomats, generals, and strategists up at night? And how do you even begin to decode a country that’s both ancient and radically new?

Stick around. We’ll break it down. We’ll ask the questions no one else dares to ask. We’ll thank Ambassador Kantha and the folks at Bloomsbury India for giving us the map. And then — well, the rest is up to you.

Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button on Spotify and our YouTube channel, Weekend Researcher! We’re also spinning on Amazon Prime Music and Apple Podcast. The story is far from over, and you won’t want to miss what’s next.

So here’s the big question: If you had one burning question for China’s leaders or for India’s, what would you want answered first? 🔥🇮🇳🇨🇳

Let’s get curious together — right here, on "Revise and Resubmit."