Lt Gen S L Narasimhan

Lt Gen S L Narasimhan

Adjunct Distinguished Fellow, National Security and China Studies

Lt Gen S L Narasimhan, PVSM, AVSM*, VSM is an Infantry Officer who served in the Indian Army for 40 years and worked extensively on the India-China border.  He served as the Defence Attaché in the Embassy of India in China for three years. Before going to China, he qualified in the Chinese language with distinction. His expertise on China spans its international relations, internal issues, economy, defence and science & technology developments in China. Narasimhan is a former Member of the National Security Advisory Board. And, during his three tenures on the board, he worked on China and India’s national security issues pertaining to defence.  Narasimhan was the first Director General of the Centre for Contemporary China Studies, a policy-oriented inter-ministerial think tank of the Government of India for five years. He is presently a Distinguished Fellow with the Centre for Air Power Studies, India and Emeritus Resource Faculty with Rashtriya Raksha University, India. He has graduated in Mathematics, is a post-graduate in Defence Studies and has a PhD in India-China Relations.
Expertise

national security, defence studies, China

Last modified: August 12, 2024

Recent projects

bdesh Courtesy:
8 August 2024 Gateway House

Strategic implications of Bangladesh’s regime change

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's forced resignation on August 5 came amidst prolonged and violent anti-government protests. Lt Gel S L Narasimhan, the Adjunct Distinguished Fellow for China and National Security Studies, Gateway House, analyzes the role of the army and external actors, and the strategic and security implications for India.
Screenshot 2024-08-01 125830 Courtesy:
1 August 2024 Centre for Land Warfare Studies

China in South Asia

China and India both give great importance to their neighbours – the former through its Friendly Neighbourhood policy, the latter through Neighbourhood First. Although China has been increasing its influence in the region, narratives that say that India is losing out to China lack in-depth analysis. To deduce the future trajectory of China in South Asia, it is important to study both China’s and India’s relations with each of these countries, as also with each other.
india china Courtesy:
18 July 2024 The Week

Narrowing the military gap

Comparing India and China’s defence forces reveals that it is more than just a numbers game. Increased defence spending and modernization with AI and quantum computing has given China a substantial edge over India’s military capability. India is working to close the gap with an energetic focus on indigenous procurement and expanding international exercises.
China NPC Courtesy: South China Morning Post
22 April 2024 Gateway House

Two Sessions of China 2024

The recently-concluded National People’s Congress or Two Sessions in Beijing didn’t surprise much. But a thorough analysis reveals departures from the past – not holding a press interaction after the meeting, and further consolidation of domestic power by the Communist Party of China. Of note to India is the delinking of China’s defence budget from the country’s rate of growth – meaning freedom to enhance its military’s capability.
00016c8b5de0110adb271e Courtesy: Spacewatch.global
4 April 2024 Gateway House

China, Quad and emerging technologies

China is racing ahead in building powerful emerging technologies for use in space, cyber security, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. The Quad countries still have an edge in these capabilities – but must collaborate in the Indo-Pacific now to maintain their comprehensive national power and global influence to keep China at bay.
crosswinds Courtesy: Amazon India
14 March 2024 Gateway House

Crosswinds: Nehru, Zhou and the Anglo-American Competition over China

In his new book, former Indian Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to China, Vijay Gokhale analyzes how newly independent India navigated Anglo-American competition and the Cold War ideologies of China in the 1940s and 1950s. The author focuses on key events from the recognition of the Peoples’ Republic of China to the two Taiwan Straits crises. His insights of the period resonate with today's U.S.-China rivalry, and highlights India's evolving role in the Indo-Pacific.
peak china Courtesy: Financial Express
23 February 2024 Gateway House

Unfolding Geopolitics | Episode 6, Peak China—or not

Has China peaked? India's leading China expert and Adjunct Distinguished Fellow for National Security and China Studies at Gateway House, Lt. Gen. S.L. Narasimhan discusses China's economy, the sustainability of Chinese global influence, the future of U.S.-China relations, and what this means for India. China, he says, will continue to be a shaping force in geopolitics, and the India-China relationship will continue to be one of interdependence.
GSI Cover IMage Courtesy: Global Times
22 February 2024 The Tribune

China’s many initiatives for dominance

China’s world vision has entered its next phase. After the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), come the Global Initiative on Data Security (GIDS) so Chinese tech standards can lead, Global Development Initiative (GDI) so China leads the development dialogue, and Global Security Initiative (GSI), so China’s security is ‘indivisible’ from other countries – all in time for China’s 2049 goal of becoming a global power.