By virtually any metric, the Chinese economy is more than five times the size of the Indian economy. China’s defence capability far outstrips that of India. China is also vying for global leadership at the cutting edge of information technology, artificial intelligence and robotics, while India is not even a major player. These vast differences in size and capacity leave India at a great disadvantage in engaging with China. But engage it must, and pro-actively, given China’s recent assertiveness. In a timely volume, Rising to the China Challenge (Rupa, 2021), Gautam Bombavale, Vijay Kelkar, Raghunath Mashelkar, Ganesh Natarajan, Ajit Ranade...