Hindu nationalist foreign policy still in the making, says Ian Hall

"When it comes to China, there are also commonalities in Nehru and Modi's approaches. Like Nehru, Modi has tried to build a personal rapport with his Chinese counterparts," said Hall

Ian Hall — a professor at the School of Government and International Relations, and deputy director, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane — is currently working on the evolution of Indian thinking about world politics since 1964. Hall, who has also written a book on the Narendra Modi government’s foreign policy, evaluates its trajectory under the current regime during an interview with Aditi Phadnis. Edited excerpts:

Now that the dust has (somewhat) settled after the Galwan Valley clash between India and China, most observers say Narendra Modi’s handling of the incident was not significantly different from Nehru’s. Do you agree?