ArrowArtboardCreated with Sketch.Title ChevronTitle ChevronIcon FacebookIcon LinkedinIcon Mail ContactPath LayerIcon MailPositive ArrowIcon Print
International relations

Nepal political shakeup thrusts Kathmandu into India-China rivalry

PM Prachanda's new Beijing-friendly coalition tips scales away from Delhi

Nepal's prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, is balancing Kathmandu's relations with giant neighbors India and China. (Nikkei montage/Getty Images and AP)

KOLKATA -- A shock political shakeup in Nepal is set to push the Himalayan nation closer to Beijing, aggravating a bitter China-India rivalry as the giant neighbors jockey for influence across South Asia.

Nepal's prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda, surprised Indian observers last week when he ditched his Delhi-leaning coalition partner for staunch China ally K.P. Sharma Oli, head of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist).

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.

Nikkei Asian Review, now known as Nikkei Asia, will be the voice of the Asian Century.

Celebrate our next chapter
Free access for everyone - Sep. 30

Find out more