India, July 12 -- There are books that merely inform, and there are books that compel readers to question long-held assumptions. Chindia: Journey to an Asian Century by Shastri Ramachandaran belongs firmly to the latter category.

It is not just a study of India-China relations but an invitation to rethink the future of Asia itself, free from the prejudices, slogans and inherited fears that have clouded public discourse for decades.

My own fascination with China began long before I set foot in the country. One of the greatest scoops of my journalistic career was for the India Press Agency (IPA), when I reported that India was on the verge of restoring diplomatic relations with China after the rupture caused by the 1962 war.

The story cr...