Two distinguished Senior Research Fellows of the Institute for National and International Security (INIS), Dr. Pramod Jaiswal and Prof. Dr. Zhang Jiadong, participated in the international conference “China and South Asia in a Multipolar World,” held on 7–8 August 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The two-day international conference brought together around 30 prominent scholars, diplomats, policymakers, researchers and strategic affairs experts from China, India and Nepal to discuss the changing geopolitical landscape of South Asia and the region’s position within an increasingly multipolar international system. The conference was jointly organized by the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University and the Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE).

Dr. Pramod Jaiswal, Senior Research Fellow of INIS and Research Director of NIICE, delivered the opening remarks at the inaugural session. In his address, he emphasized the importance of strengthening the role of independent think tanks in the fields of foreign policy, strategic affairs, economic diplomacy, international trade and regional cooperation. He also proposed that the Government of Nepal consider establishing Nepal Study Centers in India and China as an additional instrument for strengthening academic and policy cooperation.

Prof. Dr. Zhang Jiadong, Senior Research Fellow of INIS and Director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, delivered the concluding remarks of the inaugural session. He emphasized the importance of the traditionally friendly relations between China and Nepal, economic diplomacy and the need to transform historical and cultural ties among China, Nepal and India into practical forms of regional cooperation. He described the conference as an important platform for scholars from the three countries to strengthen mutual understanding, bridge differences in perception and identify shared interests.

The conference addressed a broad range of issues through eight thematic sessions, including China and South Asia in a multipolar world, Nepal–China–India trilateral cooperation, strategic competition and security, economic corridors and regional development, soft power, educational diplomacy, and the relationship between Nepal’s internal dynamics and foreign policy.

The participation of Dr. Pramod Jaiswal and Prof. Dr. Zhang Jiadong, as Senior Research Fellows of INIS, represents another important contribution of the Institute’s international network to academic and policy dialogue on contemporary geopolitical and security challenges. Their engagement in Kathmandu reflects the growing international reach of INIS and its commitment to bringing together distinguished scholars and experts from different regions of the world in support of dialogue, cooperation and a deeper understanding of the transformations shaping the contemporary international order.