India-China ties have been on the upswing in recent times.
In this context, the proposed “2 plus 1” formula (“China & India” plus “another”) could further enhance the overall regional prosperity.
How has Nepal been influencing Indo-China ties?
Nepal’s ties with India had come under severe strain in 2015 due to the border blockade that chocked off critical supplies.
At that time, Nepal and its political leadership started enhancing ties with China to counterbalance India and overcome the strain.
In fact, Nepal was proving to be a new additional thorn in the Indo-China ties, which reached its nadir during the 2017 Doklam standoff.
Nonetheless, Indo-China ties have been improving drastically after the Wuhan summit between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi in April 2018.
In this backdrop, the ruling Marxist leadership in Nepal quickly grasped that playing the India versus China card wasn’t feasible any further.
On that note, they are currently displaying diplomatic prudence by maintaining cordial relations with both India and China.
Also, a Chinese delegation that visited Nepal is said to have proposed the “2 plus 1 formula” for Indo-China-Nepal talks ahead.
What are the other outcomes of Wuhan?
The Wuhan summit opened up lines of “strategic communications” between Indian and Chinese establishments.
The arterial flow of information exchange has meant that India and China can be joint custodians rather than rivals in managing their neighbourhood.
“2 plus 1” which has been currently proposed by China to deal with Nepal, can possibly be extend to other international engagements too.
This would enable Beijing and New Delhi to engage with any third country jointly and thereby eliminate any likely abrasive competition between them.
How does the future look?
The aggressive approach of Trump against Chinese trade and geopolitical practices is likely to have forced China to reach a compromise with India.
Nonetheless, China’s new approach is likely to benefit India if leveraged properly through consistent diplomatic engagements.
The ball is now in India’s court to respond to China’s two-plus one formulation and Nepal offers a perfect opening to test the same.
The initiative would be a good indicator on whether India and China can dock their collective rise cordially, through coordinated action internationally.
