Newly elected Balendra Shah’s public messaging suggests a balanced approach rather than a tilt to either side, analysts say
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenBibek BhandariPublished: 2:03pm, 11 Mar 2026Updated: 2:20pm, 11 Mar 2026Nepal’s incoming government has signalled it will pursue a more pragmatic foreign policy centred on national interests, as the newly victorious Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) seeks to recalibrate relations with both China and India after years of shifting political alignments.In its election manifesto, RSP pledged to pursue “balanced and dynamic diplomacy” with both neighbours, emphasising economic cooperation, cross-border connectivity and trade while transforming Nepal from a “buffer state into a vibrant bridge”.
“Our relations with our neighbours and other countries will be based broadly on the national interests of Nepal,” Shishir Khanal, an RSP leader and newly elected parliamentarian, told This Week in Asia.
“We will focus on economic and development diplomacy, where we will build relationships for the economic growth of our country.”
RSP secured a landslide victory in last week’s poll, an unprecedented feat for a party that entered national politics only four years ago.
