We hosted a Sambandh Seminar on Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India-China competition in South Asia.

As India-China relations deteriorated in 2020, South Asian states are facing difficulties to sustain a foreign policy balance between New Delhi and Beijing. Nepal’s political crisis has exposed China’s rising influence beyond just trade and investments. And Sri Lanka’s dire financial situation and pressures at the United Nations have further increased its reliance on China.

Two recent books by Amish Mulmi and Asanga Abeyagoonasekera offer fascinating insights on how Nepal and Sri Lanka have embraced China even while seeking to recalibrate their relations with India. How are Kathmandu and Colombo navigating this increasingly competitive region? How does China look at South Asia and India’s predominant role in the region? Beyond just India and China, what role do other actors like the United States, Japan or the European Union play in this region? And how can the Nepal and Sri Lanka cases help us understand the foreign policy and developmental choices of other states seeking a geo-economic balance between the contrasting visions of the Belt and Road Initiative and Indo-Pacific?

Under its Sambandh Regional Connectivity Initiative, this CSEP seminar addressed these questions and featured an interaction with both book authors and regional experts.

Moderated by Dr. Constantino Xavier, Fellow, CSEP, the event featured the following speakers:

Amish Mulmi, Author, “All Roads Lead North: Nepal’s Turn to China”

Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, Author, “Conundrum Of An Island: Sri Lanka’s Geopolitical Challenges”

Nilanthi Samaranayake, Director, Strategy and Policy Analysis Program, CNA

Antara Ghosal Singh, Research Associate, CSEP

All content reflects the individual views of the speakers. The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) does not hold an institutional view on any subject.