Nepal and China share a historically robust relationship, marked by strong economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties. Nepal joined China's flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2017, signaling a new era of bilateral relations. However, progress has been slow due to Nepal’s political instability, lack of national consensus, weaknesses in negotiation capacity and geopolitical challenges.

Amid the stalemate in BRI implementation, China is keen to portray the success of BRI in Nepal. Nepal’s concerns over debt sustainability, sovereignty, and public skepticism about Chinese influence have emerged as significant challenges in advancing bilateral cooperation.