Vijay Gokhale graduated from Delhi University in 1980. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1981. He was India’s Ambassador to Malaysia, Germany and China. He served as the Foreign Secretary to Government of India from 2018 to 2020.
Since his retirement from public service, he teaches at Symbiosis International University in Pune. He is Non-resident Senior Fellow at Carnegie India. He has authored six books, including ‘The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate with India’ which was awarded the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism (Non-Fiction books), 2021.
His latest books, “China’s Wars: The Diplomacy & Politics Behind Its Military Coercion”, and “On China: Reflections of Chinese Statecraft” have been published in May & August 2026.
He has published op-ed pieces in the New York Times and Foreign Policy, as well as writes regularly in The Hindu, Indian Express and Times of India.
He lives with his spouse, Vandana, in Pune, India.