From Bandwagoning To Balancing: The Reasons For The Shift Of Nepal’s Foreign Policy And Its Impact

Nepal is a small inland state sandwiched between China and India.India has far greater geographical influence on Nepal than China,and Nepal chose to follow India for a long time under the threat of Indian hegemony.In recent years,with Nepal’s left parties coming to power and China’s "one belt,one road" strategy proposed,Nepal’s diplomacy has gradually shifted from bandwagoning to balancing.Nepal cooperates with China to balance the traditional influence of India and tries to keep good relations with both China and India to maintain its own survival and development interests.The shift of Nepal’s foreign policy mainly benefits from four factors: First,China has strengthened cooperation with Nepal,thus weakening its dependence on India;Second,the competition between China and India have provided more space for Nepal’s diplomacy,both of which are actively striving for Nepal’s support;Third,Nepal’s strategic value has increased: For China,Nepal is an important grasp for maintaining Tibet’s stability and entering South Asia;For India,Nepal is a "strategic buffer" to resist China’s influence.Fourth,the left parties with the tendency of "anti-India" and "proChina" are in power.Nepal’s shift to balancing has some impact.The most direct is the enhancement of diplomatic independence and its effort to become a bridge between China and India.Moreover,Nepal’s economy has developed rapidly,because both China and India have increased their economic assistance to Nepal.Finally,balancing has also negative influence on Nepal’s domestic political development,mainly manifested in the split public opinion,frequent change of the ruling party and unstable domestic political situation,which is an unavoidable "pain" in the process of adjusting its foreign policy.