Nepal, China and ‘Belt and Road Initiative’

Prospects and Challenges

Bibliographic Data

ID12325536
AuthorsSamir D Sharma (0009-0009-7938-8610, Jawaharlal Nehru University, corresponding author), Samir Sharma (Samir Sharma is currently Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, St. Joseph’s College, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. He has a PhD from the Centre for Political Studies (CPS), School of Social Sciences (SSS) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. Previously, he has worked with the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), New Delhi, as a research assistant and his research interests relate to India–China comparative studies, citizenship studies and federalism.), Preksha Shree Chhetri (Preksha Shree Chhetri has a PhD from the Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies (SIS) at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi and is currently a visiting research associate at the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), New Delhi. Her research interests relate to EU-China studies.)
Year2022
Volume78
Issue3
Pages458-475
Publication date2022-07-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueIndia Quarterly A Journal of International Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0974-9284 • E-ISSN: 0975-2684
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/09749284221108262
OpenAlexW4286559790
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited20

At a time when the push towards a ‘decoupling’ from China has gained significant traction, debates with regard to the favourability of the conditions of China–Nepal engagement within the BRI framework acquire significance. Despite being signed in 2017, it remains to be seen whether the ‘terms’ of the BRI framework has positive consequences for Nepal or not. Against this backdrop, and through a discussion of the larger contours of (under)development in Nepal, Nepal–China relations and perceptions of India, we argue that BRI in Nepal indicates an attempt to reframe Nepal’s geo-strategic position. This assertion undergirds the pivotal role of polyamorous cooperation envisioned by Nepal—both in the context of Sino-India relations and in staking its agency towards an ‘independent’ foreign policy. However, this attempt, we argue, will be constrained by the concrete, unresolved issues of BRI investments in Nepal as well as by the larger power (im)balances

Assertion · Business · China · Cognitive reframing · Context (archaeology · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Political science · Position (finance · Sociology · South asia · China's Global Influence and Migration · Cross-Border Cooperation and Integration · Law · Sociopolitical Dynamics in Nepal

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