• India-China ties have been on the upswing in recent times.
• In this context, the proposed “2 plus 1” formula (“China & India” plus “another”) could further enhance the overall regional prosperity.

  How has Nepal been influencing Indo-China ties? 

• Nepal’s ties with India had come under severe strain in 2015 due to the border blockade that chocked off critical supplies.
• At that time, Nepal and its political leadership started enhancing ties with China to counterbalance India and overcome the strain.
• In fact, Nepal was proving to be a new additional thorn in the Indo-China ties, which reached its nadir during the 2017 Doklam standoff.
• Nonetheless, Indo-China ties have been improving drastically after the Wuhan summit between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi in April 2018.
• In this backdrop, the ruling Marxist leadership in Nepal quickly grasped that playing the India versus China card wasn’t feasible any further.
• On that note, they are currently displaying diplomatic prudence by maintaining cordial relations with both India and China.
• Also, a Chinese delegation that visited Nepal is said to have proposed the “2 plus 1 formula” for Indo-China-Nepal talks ahead.

What are the other outcomes of Wuhan?

• The Wuhan summit opened up lines of “strategic communications” between Indian and Chinese establishments.
• The arterial flow of information exchange has meant that India and China can be joint custodians rather than rivals in managing their neighbourhood.
• “2 plus 1” which has been currently proposed by China to deal with Nepal, can possibly be extend to other international engagements too.
• This would enable Beijing and New Delhi to engage with any third country jointly and thereby eliminate any likely abrasive competition between them.

How does the future look?

• The aggressive approach of Trump against Chinese trade and geopolitical practices is likely to have forced China to reach a compromise with India.
• Nonetheless, China’s new approach is likely to benefit India if leveraged properly through consistent diplomatic engagements.
• The ball is now in India’s court to respond to China’s two-plus one formulation and Nepal offers a perfect opening to test the same.
• The initiative would be a good indicator on whether India and China can dock their collective rise cordially, through coordinated action internationally.