The China Study Group (CSG) of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

is an informal official group set up for advising the government on its China policy. It is a confidential body made up of inter-ministerial secretary-level officials. Set up by the

Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs of the Central Government of India deals with problems related to Centre-State relations, considers economic and political issues that require a broader perspective, and handles foreign affairs that ...

under the

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

government in November 1975, it was first headed by diplomat K.R. Narayanan (later

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

). It has been under the charge of civil servants such as

Brajesh Mishra Brajesh Chandra Mishra (29 September 1928 – 28 September 2012) was an Indian politician and diplomat from the Indian Foreign Service who is best known for serving as the first National Security Advisor of India from 1998 to 2004. He also se ...

and

Ajit Doval Ajit Kumar Doval, Kirti Chakra, KC (born 20 January 1945) is an Indian bureaucrat and spymaster, who is currently serving as the National Security Advisor of India since 2014. A retired Indian Police Service officer of the Kerala cadre, he had p ...

History

Shivshankar Menon Shivshankar Menon (born 5 July 1949) is a retired Indian diplomat of Indian Foreign Service who served as National Security Advisor of India to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He had previously served as the Foreign Secretary in the Minist ...

wrote in his book "Choices": China Study Group has a key structural role in the ongoing 2020 China–India skirmishes. Patrolling Points (PPs) for Indian troops along the China–India border were defined by the China Study Group in the 1970s.

Members

In 2020, the CSG was headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. CSG members include: *

Cabinet Secretary A cabinet secretary is usually a senior official (typically a civil servant) who provides services and advice to a cabinet of ministers as part of the Cabinet Office. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powe ...

* Foreign Secretary *

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...

Defence Secretary A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

* Vice Chief of the Army Staff * Vice Chief of the Naval Staff * Vice Chief of the Air Staff *

Director of the Intelligence Bureau The Director of the Intelligence Bureau (DIB) is the chief executive of the Intelligence Bureau, India's premier domestic-intelligence agency. The DIB is the senior-most Indian Police Service officer of India. The current director of Intellige ...

* Director of R&AW

Notes

References

{{India-gov-stub China–India relations 1975 establishments in India Government agencies of India