On May 30, 2024, at 17:00 Beijing time, Dr. Achyut Wagle, Professor of Economics and Registrar of Kathmandu University, delivered an online academic lecture on the topic of "Geopolitical Perspective on Nepal's Future Economic Development" to the students and teachers of Tsinghua University, which was hosted by Dr. Lei Dingkun, Assistant professor of the Institute for International and Area Studies, Tsinghua University.
Prof. Wagle began with a basic overview of Nepal, including population, currency, language, and administrative divisions. He elaborated on Nepal's geographical advantages and challenges, analyzing how to find a balance in regional politics and economy. In addition, he presented Nepal's ranking on several international indices, including the Democracy Index, Market Competitiveness, and Corruption Perception Index. Prof. Wagle then delved into the impact of geopolitics on Nepal, especially the interaction with Nepal during the rise of China and India as global economic powers. He analyzed the impact of factors such as US-China rivalry, global supply chains, digital wars, technology wars, cyber security, and climate change on Nepal's strategic decisions and foreign policy.
In the second part of the lecture, Prof. Wagle discussed Nepal's economic development, including its economic growth rate, capital expenditure, foreign direct investment (FDI), and trade relations with China and India. He noted that despite some problems with FDI in Nepal, China and India remain the main sources of development assistance and trade for Nepal. In addition, Prof. Wagle emphasized Nepal's cultural and religious importance, as well as its potential in tourism, educational services, etc., and made recommendations for strengthening regional cooperation and constructive geopolitics.
After the lecture, students and faculty members, both on and off campus, who participated in the lecture online, interacted with Prof. Achyut Wagle in a Q&A session and expressed their gratitude to Prof. Wagle for the informative and insightful lecture, which provided valuable perspectives for understanding Nepal's position and role in South Asia.
Dr. Achyut Wagle is currently the professor of Economics and Registrar of Kathmandu University, Nepal. His representative works include Nepal's potential for blended finance: A country-level study, Political Economy of Nepal's Federalism, Implications of Fiscal Imbalances in Nepal's Federalism : An Empirical Approach, Foreign Exchange and Nepal's Direction of Trade, Poverty Reduction with Strategic Communication: Moving from Awareness Raising to Sustained Citizen Participation, Human Capital Flight: The Cause of Underdevelopment, South Asia: Environment and Human Security-A New Nepal: Developments, Dilemmas and Directions, and other monographs and related journal articles.
