Nepal and Bhutan speak warmly about shared culture while leaving commercial cooperation to drift. That must change.
Introduction Nepal cultivates many high-value, unique ecological products. Large cardamom, cultivated in the eastern hills of Taplejung and Ilam, accounts for 55–68% of global large-cardamom output. Ilam orthodox tea shares the same Himalayan ridgeline, altitude, and Camellia sinensis varietals as Darjeeling. Timur pepper (Zanthoxylum armatum) is wild-harvested from the Himalayan foothills and is phytochemically distinct […]
Separated by just the “chicken’s neck,” Nepal and Bangladesh remain close in geography but distant in economic engagement.
Despite decades of goodwill, Nepal-Bangladesh trade remains far below its potential, but strategic cooperation in power, connectivity, and investment could transform their partnership into a model of regional integration.
Rather than pursuing a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), Bangladesh and Nepal would derive greater advantages from establishing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
As per a treaty signed in 1961, Nepal shares a 1,414 km border with China, including 14 border points. Due to various geographic and geopolitical reasons, however, the northern border is far less utilized and familiar to the general public than the open southern border with India.