ABSTRACT
China’s quest to secure its place in Nepal has been intensified by the pace with which its concerns have gone beyond the issue of Tibet there. Historically Nepal was viewed a “near barbarian” nation that needed to be kept in check as a means of stabilizing the periphery; today it has become for the Chinese a conduit to south Asia in the broadest sense of the term. A prominent Chinese expert on south Asia recently contended that India itself was prompting Beijing to reassess its policy in the region. Arguing that New Delhi had failed to address the “strategic autonomy” of other south Asian nations, he described the resultant discordance as a threat to Chinese interests. If India is anxious to lead south Asia by virtue of its size and strength, he contended, then it must only do so with the consent of its smaller neighbors. 1
