📄 Abstract
Nepal’s geopolitical location gives its foreign policy a structural delicacy rarely experienced by ordinary small states. Situated between India and China, and exposed to the strategic interaction of these two Asian powers, Nepal has consistently tried to protect its sovereignty, widen its external options and preserve domestic political autonomy. This chapter re-examines Nepal’s balancing behaviour between New Delhi and Beijing and evaluates its implications for India-Nepal relations. The argument advanced here is that Nepal’s engagement with China should not be read merely as an anti-India posture; it is better understood as a strategy of diversification, bargaining and autonomy-seeking. At the same time, Nepal’s dependence on India for transit, trade, labour mobility, energy exchange, cultural interaction and social connectivity places clear limits on any attempt to distance itself structurally from New Delhi. China’s expanding presence through infrastructure initiatives, the Belt and Road Initiative, political outreach, border management and symbolic diplomacy has widened Kathmandu’s diplomatic room, yet it has also sharpened India’s security anxieties. The chapter further takes into account Nepal’s recent political transition, including the 2025 Gen Z uprising, the fall of K. P. Sharma Oli’s government, the interim leadership of Sushila Karki and the rise of Balendra “Balen” Shah as Nepal’s youngest prime minister in 2026. These developments have added a generational and accountability-driven dimension to Nepal’s external policy. The chapter concludes that India–Nepal relations are likely to remain resilient, but they will also remain contested unless New Delhi combines security prudence with economic generosity, respect for Nepalese sovereignty and quicker implementation of connectivity, hydropower and development projects.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Dr. Shivendra Shahi , NEPAL’S BALANCING STRATEGY BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA: IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA-NEPAL RELATIONS , Volume 11 , Issue 8, August 2026, EPRA International Journal of Research & Development (IJRD) , Pages: 24 - 30 ,