Buddhist Ties in the Himalaya Region: Interactions, Impacts, and Policy Recommendations

This chapter examines the Buddhist ties between the Himalayan states in the past two thousand years and its dual influence in the Himalayan region. It points out there is rising competitive Buddhist diplomacy of China and India in the Himalayan region as both sides try to enhance soft power by making good use of their Buddhism legacy. In order to mitigate the power competition between China and India and promote the Buddhist exchanges in the Himalayan region, it suggests the two countries work together to promote Buddhism tourism based on the historical Buddhist links between the two countries.