• Research
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie India logoCarnegie lettermark logo
AI
The China–India Nuclear Crossroads
Book

The China–India Nuclear Crossroads

Leading Chinese and Indian experts examine the political, military, and technical factors that affect Sino-Indian nuclear relations, providing a comprehensive framework through which China and India can pursue enhanced cooperation.

Link Copied
By Lora Saalman
Published on Sep 25, 2012

Additional Links

Kindle - $9.99Paperback - $19.95Hardback - $49.95Nook - $10.39iTunes - $9.99

Source: Washington

Global power is shifting to Asia. The U.S. military is embarking on an American “pivot” to the Indo-Pacific region, and the bulk of global arms spending is directed toward Asian theaters. India and Pakistan are thought to be building up their nuclear arsenals while questions persist about China’s potential to “sprint to parity.” China remains by far the world’s largest market for new nuclear energy production, and India aspires to be on a similar trajectory.

Despite these trends, The China-India Nuclear Crossroads is the first serious book by leading Chinese and Indian experts to examine the political, military, and technical factors that affect Sino-Indian nuclear relations. In this book, editor and translator Lora Saalman presents a comprehensive framework through which China and India can pursue enhanced cooperation and minimize the unintended consequences of their security dilemmas. | 中文
 

Advance Praise

“The place to start for anyone interested in the atomic dimension of the China-India relationship and its profound impact on Asian security and the global nuclear order.”
—C. Raja Mohan, Member of India’s National Security Advisory Board and Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation

“A first and crucial attempt to comprehensively compare Chinese and Indian nuclear perspectives.”
—Shen Dingli, Executive Dean of the Institute of International Studies and Director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University

“Provides a better understanding of the security perceptions driving China and India’s nuclear strategies...a must read.”
—Shyam Saran, Senior Fellow at the Center for Policy Research and former counselor in the Embassy of India in Beijing, China

“Serves as a communication bridge between Chinese and Indian scholars.”
—Zheng Ruixiang, Senior Researcher at the China Institute of International Studies and China’s former consul general in Mumbai, India

About the Author

Lora Saalman

Former Nonresident Associate, Nuclear Policy Program

Saalman was a nonresident associate in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Her research focuses on China’s nuclear and strategic policies toward India, Russia, and arms control.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    Balancing Chinese Interests on North Korea and Iran

      Lora Saalman

  • In The Media
    Why Beijing Stands by Pyongyang

      Lora Saalman

Lora Saalman
Former Nonresident Associate, Nuclear Policy Program
Lora Saalman
South AsiaIndiaPakistanEast AsiaChinaTaiwanSecurityMilitaryNuclear PolicyArms Control

Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie India

  • Article
    Managing Divergence: India’s BRICS Presidency in 2026

    This piece argues that India’s central challenge is not managing a single flashpoint but resolving the underlying tension between expansion and institutional coherency of the BRICS grouping.

      Vrinda Sahai

  • Commentary
    India’s Semiconductor Ecosystem Is Maturing—and ASML Is Taking Notice

    The ASML MoU with Tata Electronics is an indicator of how far the Indian semiconductor ecosystem has come. This ecosystem has been years in the making and represents real commercial logic.

      Konark Bhandari

  • Paper
    A Review of India's 2023 Space Policy and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem

    This paper examines the relationship between India’s evolving space policy and the corresponding growth in private space ventures. It analyzes both the enabling factors created by recent regulatory changes and the persistent challenges facing entrepreneurs in this capital-intensive, highly regulated industry.

      Harshan Vazhakunnam

  • Article
    India–Africa Strategic Partnership: Challenges, Potential, and Possible Pathways

    A partnership between India, a country of subcontinental size, and Africa, a continent of fifty-four countries, may seem asymmetric until one notes that both are home to nearly the same number of people—1.4 billion. This essay spells out the existing challenges to the partnership, its optimal potential, and the possible pathways to realize it over the next quarter-century.

      Rajiv Bhatia

  • Commentary
    The Unresolved Challenges in U.S.–India Semiconductor Cooperation

    The U.S.–India semiconductor cooperation story is well-stocked with top-level strategic intent. What remains unresolved, however, are some underlying challenges that will determine whether the cooperation actually functions. Three such friction points stand out.

      Shruti Mittal

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie India
Carnegie India logo, white
Unit C-4, 5, 6, EdenparkShaheed Jeet Singh MargNew Delhi – 110016, IndiaPhone: 011-40078687
  • Research
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie India
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.