Sino-Nepal Cooperation in Disasters: Dynamics and Challenges

Engaging in disaster relief and, more recently, post-disaster reconstruction has become an increasingly regular and institutionalized component of China’s evolving humanitarian diplomacy over the past decade. Drawn upon novel evidence from China’s growing disaster-related humanitarian aid to Nepal and unprecedented engagement in Nepal’s long-term post-earthquake rebuild since 2015, this paper explores the dynamics behind China’s transforming humanitarian diplomacy. The findings of this paper suggest that (1) Geopolitical and geoeconomic interests, represented by the Belt-and-Road Initiative (BRI), serve as a critical driver for the development of bilateral partnership in the disaster sector; (2) Non-state actors, represented private foundations and civil NGOs, have played active roles in the state-dominance cooperation in disaster management. This paper also suggests that intensified geopolitical confrontations, such as military clashes between India and China, would bring uncertainties to the Sino-Nepali partnership and be counter-conducive to humanitarian goals.