KATHMANDU: Prof John J. Mearsheimer, an American political scientist and international relations scholar, has said if China becomes powerful in Asia, it can undermine Nepalese sovereignty if it chooses to do so.

Answering the imperative question on ‘What does China’s Rise Means to Nepal?’, he suggested that it is important for Nepal to maintain balance of power between India and China.

“Nepal will require smart strategy on Nepal’s part,” said Prof Mearsheimer, who is also a R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago.

He made this remark at a webinar titled “The Plague and The Future of the Great Power politics” organized by the Nepal Institute for international Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE) chaired by Dr. Pramod Jaiswal, Reseach Director, NIICE. Professor Mearsheimer, who has written extensively about security issues and international politics, stressed on the impacts it will bear on the Asian nations especially a country like Nepal.

He said that it is in the nature of the powerful flank states to invariably attempt to pull buffer states into their orbit or at times either fight over them or try to conquer them.

He also made a point to say that India is not a great power in international politics.

According to him, India is not wealthy enough to become a great power.

“Of course it is a powerful country; it’s an important player in Asian politics there is no question about that. It has the population size for sure to be a great power, with roughly the same size as China but it does not have the necessary wealth,” he added.

Indicating the US as one of the great powers may as well go to great lengths to prevent China from becoming a regional hegemon in Asia, he said.

“The coming Sino-American conflict will be the dominating geopolitical feature of the 21st century,” Prof Mearsheimer said adding, “There is going to be an “intense security competition between China and India that will focus on the Indian Ocean and the border between China and India.”