Joined IDSA

July 2010

Expertise

China’s foreign policy in South Asia; China-US relations; China-India relations

Education

M.Phil in Chinese Studies, Center for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; M.A. in Politics (with Specialization in International Relations, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Current Project

China’s National Interests and Threat Perceptions

Background

Ms. Rukmani Gupta is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for East Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her doctoral thesis explores the domestic Chinese discourse on the United States’ interaction with international economic and political institutions. Chinese commentary on power and hegemony forms an important element of her doctoral research. As a recipient of the India-China Government Scholarship she pursued language studies and research at Dalian, Liaoning (PRC) for two years [2007-09]. A Confucius Institute scholarship in 2010 enabled her to hone her Chinese language skills at the Beijing Language and Culture University. Ms Gupta’s current project at IDSA is focused on the conception of Chinese national interests and threat perceptions. Extensive travel in Mainland China has given her an interest in issues of social stability and regime legitimacy, especially the articulation of these in China’s domestic and foreign policy.

Prior to joining IDSA, Ms Gupta had worked at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, most recently as a Research Fellow. Apart from undertaking research on China’s foreign policy, she had also been responsible for facilitating joint research with Chinese scholars and managing China-related projects funded by the Brookings Institution and the MacArthur Foundation.

An alumnus of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi (DU), Ms Gupta ranked first in the college at the undergraduate level and was awarded the “Smt. Manorama Desai Prize” for the Best Student in History (Hons.) in 2002.

Select Publications

• “China’s White Paper on National Defence 2010: Text and Context”, in CLAWS
  Monograph on China’s Defence White Paper (forthcoming 2011)
• Review of The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers, by Richard
  McGregor, Strategic Analysis (forthcoming 2011)
• “China and the South China Sea Disputes,” World Focus, May 2011
• “China’s Defence White Paper,” IDSA web Commentary, April 2011
• Review of Soft Power: China's Emerging Strategy in International Politics, by Mingjiang Li, Strategic Analysis, Vol. 35, No. 1, 2011
• Review of The New Space Race: China vs. the United States, by Erik Seedhouse, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 4, No. 4, 2010
• “G2 and US-China Relations,” World Focus, September 2010
• “Of Struggle, Suffering and State Building,” The Book Review, February 2010
• “India-China Relations 2009 – A Review,” World Focus, January 2010
• “China in Nepal – A Wakeup Call for India,” South Asia Defence and Strategic Review, July-August 2009
• “Anatomy of Unrest,” Epilogue, May 2008

Publications at IDSA