Panchsheel: Principles and National Interests in Foreign Policy

Speaker: Ambassador Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, former Indian Ambassador to China and currently a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change and also member, UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Geneva. Author of War and Diplomacy in Kashmir

Chair: Ambassador Ashok Kantha

 

Contrary to popular belief, the archival record shows that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, or Panchsheel, were formulated by China, not India. Their roots lie in Chinese foreign policy, not Indian philosophy. China has regularly proposed sets of “principles” to guide bilateral and multilateral negotiations in diverse fields. We need a clearer understanding of this diplomatic tool

 

(Collaboration: Institute of Chinese Studies)