Nian Peng & Ghulam Ali 
Crossing the Himalayas 
Buddhist Ties, Regional Integration and Great-Power Rivalry

This book aims to analyze two contrasting trends of integration and rivalry among great powers and regional states of Himalaya. It examines the interactions between the great powers and the small states in the Himalayan region, analyzes the multiple effects of the great power rivalry on the regional cooperation, and predicts the possible directions of the future of the geo-politics and geo-economy in the Himalayan region by incorporating the most recent developments. The main content of the book is divided into 11 parts. The Introduction briefly explains the aims and scope of this book. The following chapter focuses on the Buddhist ties between China and the Himalayan states in the past two millennia and its dual influence in the Himalayan region. The rest 9 chapters provide an in-depth analyses of the security dilemma between China and India, Indian perspectives on China-South Asian relations, Chinese perspectives on U.S. and Japan’s engagement with South Asia and Indo-Myanmar relations, and Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal’s responses to the regional integration and great power rivalry in the Himalayan region respectively.






This is the first study which brings the Himalaya region at the center of geopolitical and geo-economics cooperation and rivalry thus highlighting its significance in Asian politics. It offers a comprehensive analysis of the complicated geo-political and geo-economic competition in the Himalayan region by inviting experts from both South Asia and China to contribute chapters. It also balances the west-centered views on the great power rivalry by introducing cultural perspective and small state perspective. 






The broad approach adopted in the book with focus on all important countries expands the scope of readership beyond specific academic community. The book will interest academics, policy makers, journalists, general reader and students of Asian politics.

Table of Content

1  Introduction.- 2  Buddhist Ties in the Himalaya Region: Interactions, Impacts, and Policy

Recommendations.- 3  Sino-Indian Security Dilemma in the Himalayan Region and Its


Mitigation Methods.- 4  China-South Asia Relations: Indian Perspectives.- 5  China’s Growing Engagement in South Asia: Indian Perspectives.- 6  US and Japan’s Engagement with South Asia-Chinese Perspectives.- 7  CPEC: A Gateway to Regional Connectivity.- 8  Sri Lanka amid Sino-Indian Himalayan Rivalry.- 9  Bangladesh’s Quest for Development and Sino-Indian Contestation.- 10  Nepal Amid Sino-Indian Contestation.- 11  Budding Indo-Myanmar Relations: What It Means to China?.

About the author

​Nian Peng is the Deputy Director&Associate Fellow of Research Centre for Maritime Silk Road, National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCS), China. He holds a Ph D in Government and International Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University. His main research interests are in the areas of China-Southeast/South Asia relations, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), maritime security of the Indo-Pacific. He authored three books-
The Reshaping of China-Southeast Asia Relations in Light of the Covid-19 Pandemic (2021), International Pressures, Strategic Preference, and Myanmar’s China Policy since 1988 (2020),
Leng Zhan Hou Yin Mian Guan Xi Yan Jiu [A Study on Indo-Myanmar Relations after the Cold-War] (2017). His refereed articles have been notably published in
Pacific Focus,
Asian Affairs, Dong Nan Ya Yan Jiu [Southeast Asian Studies],
Nan Ya Yan Jiu [South Asian Studies],
Nan Ya Yan Jiu Ji Kan [South Asian Studies Quarterly]. He also contributes his perspectives to many think tanks and various local and international media outlets such as Asia Centre in France, Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) in India,
East Asian Forum in Australia,
The Diplomat in the US,
Bangkok Post in Thailand,
Lian He Zao Bao in Singapore,
South China Morning Post in Hong Kong,
CGTN and
Global Times in China. Email: jixi2212@163.com.








Ghulam Ali is Associate Professor at School of Marxism, Department of Political Science, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, China. He obtained his Ph D in History and Politics from Monash University, Australia, and his postdoc from Peking University. He is the author of
China–Pakistan Relations: A Historical Analysis (2017) and
Perspectives on Contemporary Pakistan Governance, Development and Environment (2020). His articles have published in
The Pacific Review,
Pacific Focus and
Issues&Studies among others. He was a Hanban Fellow, Peking University, a Taiwan Fellow at the Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University (2011), Lee Hysan Visiting Scholar at the University Services Center, Chinese University of Hong Kong (2008), and Contemporary China Fellow at the National Tsing Hua University (2006–2007). Email: ghulamali@yahoo.com.





Yi Zhang is a Ph D candidate at the Institute of Taoism and Religious Culture, Sichuan University, China. Her main research areas are Chinese philosophy, Chinese tea culture, and Buddhist culture. Her recent publication is
Lao Zhuang Zhe Xue Dui Xian Dai Cha Yi De Duo Chong Ying Xiang [The Multiple Influences of Laozhuang Philosophy on Modern Tea Art] (2020). Email: zjqdzh123@yeah.net.