The Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA) conducted the second closed-door roundtable on 29th July 2025 in collaboration with the Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE) focusing on trans-himlayan security from a geopolitical perspective. The theme of the discussion was Himalayan Geopolitics in Flux: Strategic Balances and Borderlands. The discussion was aimed to understand Nepal’s balancing posture vis-à-vis India and China when it comes to the Himalayas, as the region experiences a profound transformation in its strategic salience. Discussions also focused on how the Himalayas are no longer just a natural buffer between great powers, and have become a stage for power projection, infrastructural militarization, and competing visions of regional order. Nepal, occupying a geostrategic fulcrum between India and China, is increasingly compelled to navigate this shifting terrain.
Discussions covered a variety of themes relevant to geopolitics in the context of the Himalayan region. The closed-door engagement saw discussants express a wide range of insights and opinions.