By Ashok Bhattarai

BRICS, a new cooperation forum of emerging major economies, was established in 2006 and now it has become a wider platform for development, finance, trade, politics and economic governance. It consists of eleven members (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia) and ten partner countries (Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam).

At present, the total population of this organization accounts for approximately 49.5% of the world's total population, its total GDP accounts for about 40% of the world's total, and its total trade volume accounts for 26% of the world's total, hence playing an increasingly important role in the global economy. Engagement with BRICS can be the networking bricks for Nepal’s Development.

As the global focus shifts toward the Global South, Nepal faces a question: how can it leverage engagement with emerging economic platforms while preserving its strategic autonomy?

Owing to its economic realities, balanced diplomacy emerges as a necessity and no longer a choice. With the volume of its foreign trade at about NPR 24.12 trillion and a trade deficit of around NPR 17.81 trillion, Nepal cannot afford to keep itself away from either India or China. Given that more than seventy percent of its trade linked to BRICS countries, it makes perfect economic sense for Nepal to look at BRICS in a more focused manner. The aim here should be of course not politics, but the possibility of increased trade, investment, technology, connectivity and development.

This is why Nepal should begin diplomatic consultations on engaging BRICS as a partner country. BRICS can be the Networking Bricks for Nepal’s Development. Greater engagement could open opportunities for Nepal in areas such as infrastructure, hydropower, renewable energy, digital connectivity, climate resilience, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and technology. BRICS engagement could create greater familiarity and avenues for exploring development-financing cooperation with financial institutions like New Development Bank.

At the same time, BRICS engagement is not only about finance. It can also provide avenues for ministerial and technical-level diplomacy, business cooperation, academic exchanges, think-tank networks and policy dialogue. For a small country, these networks matter. Foreign policy is not built only through high-level summits; it is also built through sustained engagement among institutions, businesses, experts, universities and policymakers.

Nepal’s geography makes this conversation even more relevant. As a landlocked country situated between two founding BRICS members; India and China, Nepal occupies a unique strategic position. Instead of regarding this geography as an obstacle, Nepal should learn how to turn it into an advantage in economic and diplomatic terms. Its relations with India and China do not have to be considered as mutually exclusive.

This is the core of the concept of strategic autonomy in modern conditions: engage with all, align with none, and maximize national interests out of each relation. Nepal has already engaged in regional and multilateral bodies such as SAARC, BIMSTEC, the United Nations and international financial institutions. Engaging BRICS would not require abandoning any of them. On the contrary, it would add another layer to Nepal’s economic diplomacy at a time when the global order is becoming increasingly multipolar.

But Nepal should also be realistic. BRICS partnership does not automatically guarantee investment, cheaper financing or market access. Nor should Nepal replace one form of dependency with another. Any engagement must be guided by project viability, debt sustainability, transparency, environmental and social standards, and clear national priorities. Nepal should also continue constructive engagement with the ADB, IMF, World Bank and the United States, European Union, India, China and other development partners.

The right way, therefore, is BRICS plus, not BRICS versus.

Nepal does not need to rush into full BRICS membership. The immediate priority should be to study the possibilities carefully and begin diplomatic consultations on partner country status, BRICS outreach mechanisms, ministerial engagements, business and academic platforms, and potential avenues for development cooperation. A well-prepared national strategy would allow Nepal to enter these conversations with clarity rather than simply reacting to changes in the international order.

Ultimately, the question for Nepal is: In a rapidly changing multipolar world, should Nepal remain a passive observer, or should it proactively explore the full wingspan of its economic diplomacy to advance its national interest?

Nepal does not need to choose sides; it needs to expand its choices.

The time has come for Nepal to move from geopolitical hesitation to confident economic diplomacy.

Ashok Bhattarai is an economic diplomacy enthusiast interested in international economic relations, foreign direct investment, trade, and Nepal’s strategic engagement with the evolving global change.