Role of the Belt and Road Initiative in Redefining Nepal’s Geopolitical Position between India and China

Abstract

Nepal's participation in Belt and Road Initiative has significantly introduced a new dimension in its geopolitical positioning between India and China, raising concerns about how connectivity impacts the autonomy and leverage of smaller states caught in Great Power Competition. Existing literature have largely analyzed Nepal's involvement in BRI through economic and infrastructural perspectives, and have frequently overlooked its profound geopolitical, and perceptual significance especially in the context that Nepal has been historically functioning under asymmetric dependencies. To address this gap, this study reframes BRI as a catalyst for geopolitical redefinition and argues that Nepal's involvement in BRI represents a strategic and discursive shift rather than merely an economic pursuit, wherein infrastructures function as a medium for geopolitical advances. This paper examines how BRI enhances Nepal's symbolic agency, spatial centrality, and diplomatic maneuverability in the shifting dynamics of regional politics. It contributes to small state theory by demonstrating how a nation can generate symbolic and strategic value from connectivity initiatives, even in absence of the significant economic gains. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative and analytical approach, drawing on secondary sources including policy documents, reports and comparative case studies. The analysis is framed through structural realism, hedging theory, small state diplomacy, connectivity politics, and critical geopolitics, supplemented by insights from Himalayan Frontier Theory. The findings highlight that Nepal’s engagement with the BRI extends beyond economic alignment, and is accompanied by evolving material and discursive dimensions in Nepal’s geopolitical positioning, both internally and externally.