International conference on 'China and South Asia in a multipolar world' begins in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU: A two-day international conference titled 'China and South Asia in a Multipolar World' opened in Kathmandu today. The event brought together about 30 scholars, diplomats, policymakers and strategic affairs experts from Nepal, China and India to discuss regional cooperation, connectivity and security in an increasingly multipolar global order.

The event is jointly organised by the Centre for South Asian Studies at Fudan University and the Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE). The event organisers said the conference will address trilateral connectivity, economic cooperation, security challenges and people-to-people exchanges through eight thematic sessions over two days.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal delivered the keynote at the inaugural session. He said, "Asia's transformation presents unprecedented opportunities for shared prosperity." He urged greater economic diplomacy and said Nepal welcomes the continued development of both India and China while remaining committed to strengthening bilateral ties based on sovereign equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. Foreign Minister Khanal said Nepal aims to improve the lives of its people through trade, investment, tourism, technology and sustainable development, and aspires to become 'a vibrant, dynamic bridge connecting China and South Asia' by enhancing transport and digital connectivity and facilitating cross-border exchanges.

Addressing the programme, China’s Ambassador to Nepal, Dr Zhang Maoming, warned of rising unilateralism and protectionism worldwide and said regional stability in South Asia has been maintained amid broader international tensions. He said, "The development of South Asia vividly reflects the advancing multipolarization of the world, and stands as a powerful testament to the advent of the 'Asian Century'." Ambassador Zhang noted 2026 as a year of opportunity with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and Nepal’s new government, and said China is ready to deepen Belt and Road cooperation and practical programmes in poverty reduction, medical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

NIICE Director Sumitra Karki chaired the inaugural session. Dr Pramod Jaiswal, Research Director of NIICE, urged the Nepali government to consider support mechanisms for independent think tanks working on foreign policy, strategic affairs and regional cooperation, and recommended promoting Nepal study centres in India and China. Prof Dr Zhang Jiadong, Director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, thanked the Foreign Minister Khanal for his remarks and called for turning cultural affinity and historical links among China, Nepal and India into practical regional cooperation.

Speakers at the conference represent institutions including Fudan University, Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, Hebei University of Economics and Business, MP-IDSA, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, FORE School of Management, Tribhuvan University, Lumbini Buddhist University, the Policy Research Institute and NIICE.

The conference will continue through August 8 and will include sessions on trilateral cooperation, strategic competition and security, economic corridors and regional development, soft power and educational diplomacy, and Nepal’s internal dynamics and foreign policy.