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Balen Shah is changing Nepal’s foreign policy. He’s treating India, China as equals

For a landlocked country like Nepal, prioritising India and China has not been merely a question of diplomatic courtesy, but a matter of survival.

In a historic move and moving away from the established Nepalese foreign policy norm, the newly elected Prime Minister of Nepal, Balendra Shah, aka Balen, met with the 17 ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in Kathmandu on 8 April at his office. This included ambassadors of India, China, the United States, Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Qatar, and the United Nations Resident Coordinator, among others. While past leaders have met foreign envoys in more informal settings, meeting in a group indicates a well-calibrated start to foreign policy. 

Since Balen Shah took the oath as Nepal’s youngest Prime Minister on 27 March, Nepal watchers have been speculating about the direction of his foreign policy. For a first-time member of parliament, a first-time prime minister, and the leader of a party founded four years ago, every administrative move has been the first. Also, unlike the grand old parties of Nepal, Shah’s Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lacks an objectively defined ideological base, which makes it more difficult to speculate about its foreign policy. 

Going by the traditional line, India and China have been the two top priorities. Liberal democratic parties like the Nepali Congress were considered close to India, the Communists and the Maoists were often seen using the China card, and the cycle repeated with each new leader and administration. 

Balen Shah wants to move away from the norm and present a more neutral, objective outlook as he approaches the redefinition of an aspirational Nepal’s foreign policy. The question remains: does he have a strategy? 

Balen Shah’s decision to meet the envoys in a joint call avoids positioning Nepal as pro-India or pro-China and presents all........

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