Asian relations with Northeast India#Nepal

{{See also|Five Fingers of Tibet|Greater Yunnan|India–Tibet relations}}China claims the border state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, which has resulted in tensions between India and China.{{Cite web |last=Brar |first=Aadil |date=2024-03-29 |title=Indian state part of China "since ancient times," Beijing says |url=https://www.newsweek.com/china-india-arunachal-pradesh-zangnan-tibet-territorial-dispute-1884895 |access-date=2024-09-08 |website=Newsweek |language=en}} Since 2009, China has issued "stapled visas" to people from Arunachal Pradesh when they wish to travel to China, signaling that they are perceived as having the same right of movement as Chinese citizens throughout China.{{Cite news |last=Mukhopadhyay |first=Sounak |date=28 July 2023 |title=Explained: China issuing ‘stapled visas’ to Arunachal Pradesh players may concern national security; here’s how |url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/explained-china-issuing-stapled-visas-to-arunachal-pradesh-players-may-concern-national-security-heres-how-11690521087136.html |work=Livemint}}

In the late 19th century, the British sent an expedition to guarantee suzerainty in Sikkim, aiming to secure it from Tibet.{{Cite journal |last=Cheng |first=Yi Meng |date=2021 |title=Expedition turned Invasion: The 1888 Sikkim Expedition through British, Indian and Chinese eyes |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-royal-asiatic-society/article/abs/expedition-turned-invasion-the-1888-sikkim-expedition-through-british-indian-and-chinese-eyes/4A6485455608A4472104C5CF872127E9 |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society |language=en |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=803–829 |doi=10.1017/S1356186321000018 |issn=1356-1863|url-access=subscription }} In postcolonial times, China had a dispute over the status of Sikkim, which acceded to India in 1975, until 2003.{{Cite news |date=2018-07-12 |title=Back off or China will readjust stance on Sikkim: Chinese daily |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/chinese-state-media-warns-india-back-off-border-dispute-or-beijing-will-support-sikkims-independence/articleshow/59468541.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}} However, 21st century border clashes have occurred between India and China in the region.{{Cite web |date=2017-07-05 |title=Sikkim impasse: What is the India-China-Bhutan border standoff? |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-india-china-bhutan-border-standoff-sikkim-doklam-chumbi-valley-4736620/ |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}

{{See also|Japanese–Meitei cultural relations}}

Historically, Northeast India and Japan have been connected to some extent through Buddhism; other cultural similarities have existed for millennia, such as in food and through an appreciation for nature.{{Cite web |date=2021-02-24 |title=Japan blooms in India's North East |url=https://www.gatewayhouse.in/japan-blooms-in-indias-north-east/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Gateway House |language=en}}{{Cite web |title="Reimaging" Northeast India―NAKAMURA Yui {{!}} Features |url=https://asiawa.jpf.go.jp/en/culture/features/f-yomu2-india-1/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Japan Foundation - WA Project |language=ja}} During World War 2, the Japanese military collaborated with the Indian National Army in the region;{{Cite web |title=Japan's Infrastructure Investment in Northeast India |url=https://thediplomat.com/2022/02/japans-infrastructure-investment-in-northeast-india/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}} eventually, the westward expansion of the Japanese Empire was put to a stop in Northeast India in the 1944 Battle of Imphal. Since then, Japan has contributed to the construction of infrastructure in the region.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-24 |title=Northeast India and The Troika of Bangladesh, India and Japan - Civilsdaily |url=https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/northeast-india-and-the-troika/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |language=en-US}} Northeast Indians consume some Japanese cultural products as well, such as anime.

Northeast India is currently being prioritized by India and Japan as part of Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy and as part of India's Act East policy,{{Cite web |last=Borah |first=Rupakjyoti |date=9 December 2019 |title=How India and Japan Zoomed in on Northeast India |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/12/how-india-and-japan-zoomed-in-on-northeast-india/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}} with both countries seeing the region as especially important for creating trading routes due to their collective rejection of China's Belt and Road Initiative.{{Cite book |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003165026/northeast-india-japan-mayumi-murayama-sanjoy-hazarika-preeti-gill |title=Northeast India and Japan: Engagement through Connectivity |date=2021-09-30 |publisher=Routledge India |isbn=978-1-003-16502-6 |editor=Mayumi Murayama |editor2=Sanjoy Hazarika |editor3=Preeti Gill|location=London |doi=10.4324/9781003165026}} Northeast India, in conjunction with the neighboring BIMSTEC country of Bangladesh, is seen by Japan as an important region in containing China,{{Cite web |last=Chowdhury |first=Doreen |date=2023-04-21 |title=Locating Bangladesh in Japan's North-East India Ambition |url=https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/04/21/locating-bangladesh-in-japans-north-east-india-ambition/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Modern Diplomacy |language=en-US}} while India seeks to use its northeastern region to increase engagement with Southeast Asia.{{Cite news |last=Bhuyan |first=Aroonim |date=31 October 2018 |title=Why Northeast matters for India-Japan collaboration in Indo-Pacific (News Analysis) |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/why-northeast-matters-for-india-japan-collaboration-in-indo-pacific-news-analysis-118103100567_1.html |work=Business Standard}} The geographical similarities between Northeast India and Japan, as well as India's guarding of its northeast as a sensitive border region that it is unwilling to allow untrusted partner countries to invest in, are other major factors leading to India desiring Japan's involvement in the region.{{Cite web |last=Borah |first=Rupakjyoti |date=2021-03-14 |title=Japan Shares Good Reasons to Collaborate in Northeast India's Development {{!}} JAPAN Forward |url=https://japan-forward.com/japan-shares-good-reasons-to-collaborate-in-northeast-indias-development/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=japan-forward.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Chowdhury |first=Doreen |date=2023-04-21 |title=Locating Bangladesh in Japan's North-East India Ambition |url=https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/04/21/locating-bangladesh-in-japans-north-east-india-ambition/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Modern Diplomacy |language=en-US}}

{{See also|Korean Wave}}

Northeast India has often felt alienated from the rest of India (sometimes referred to as "mainland India"), leading it in recent decades to look towards phenotypically and culturally similar parts of Asia in the east for connection. Part of this alienation is due to local insurgents and others banning Hindi cinema and other potential tools of "Indianisation" in Manipur.{{Cite web |last=Das |first=Bijoyeta |date=17 February 2014 |title=Manipur: A part of India where Korea rules |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2014/2/17/manipur-a-part-of-india-where-korea-rules |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Zahan |first=Syeda Ambia |date=2022-05-23 |title=Korean Cinema, Songs Rule Northeast India; Youth Looks Up To K-Pop Icons |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/art-entertainment/korean-cinema-songs-rule-northeast-india-youth-looks-up-to-k-pop-icons-news-198127 |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Outlook India |language=en}}

In this context, Korean culture has become popular in Northeast India, with Korean words becoming increasingly prevalent in the local languages.{{Cite journal |last=Ghosh |first=Manas |title=Transnational Korean Culture: A Response from North-Eastern and Eastern India |url=https://www.academia.edu/99316099 |date=2022 |journal=HP University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences |volume=10 |number=2 }} Korean food has also become increasingly popular at local restaurants.{{Cite news |title=SOUTH KOREAN SOFT POWER IN NORTH-EAST INDIA |url=https://www.sikkimexpress.com/news-details/south-korean-soft-power-in-north-east-india |work=Sikkim Express}} The popularity of Korean culture that emerged in Northeast India has since spread to the rest of India in recent years.{{Cite web |last=Upreti |first=Aditya Mani Jha & Payel Majumdar |date=2020-01-17 |title=Hallyu 2.0: Korean pop culture gains new ground in India |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/cover/hallyu-20-korean-pop-culture-gains-new-ground-in-india/article30584789.ece |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=BusinessLine |language=en}} One aspect of Korean culture's popularity in Northeast India is its ability to incorporate Christian principles in a non-Western manner, making it more relatable in some ways to Northeast Indian youth than Western culture.{{Citation |last=Kaisii |first=Athikho |title=Youth and Popular Culture: Korean Wave in North-East India |date=2022 |work=Korean Wave in South Asia: Transcultural Flow, Fandom and Identity |pages=79–97 |editor-last=Roy |editor-first=Ratan Kumar |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8710-5_4 |access-date=2024-05-02 |place=Singapore |publisher=Springer Nature |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-981-16-8710-5_4 |isbn=978-981-16-8710-5 |editor2-last=Das |editor2-first=Biswajit|url-access=subscription }}

There are some similarities between the cultures of Manipur and Mongolia, as can be seen in music, wrestling, and various traditions and age rituals.{{Cite journal |last=Oidov |first=Nyamdavaa |date=2015-01-01 |title=Mongolia and India |url=https://www.academia.edu/69471104/Mongolia_and_India |journal=Mongolian Journal of International Affairs}}

Taiwan has looked into hiring Northeast Indians over other Indians, citing similarities in ethnicity and culture.{{Cite web |last=Chang |first=Diksha Madhok, Wayne |date=2024-03-05 |title=Taiwan wants to hire Indian workers. What’s skin color or religion got to do with it? |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/05/business/taiwan-minister-apology-indian-skin-tones/index.html |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=CNN |language=en}}

{{See also|Eastern South Asia|Indian Himalayan Region}}

Northeast India is dependent on Bangladesh to some extent for routes to Southeast Asia. Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura depend on having access to the sea via Bangladesh’s Chittagong port. Initiatives for connectivity, like the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project and the Akhaura–Agartala line, are also relevant.{{Cite web |last=Lamkang |first=Leivon Albert |date=2024-10-04 |title=The Impact of Bangladesh’s Political Shift on North East India’s Geopolitics and Security |url=https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2024/10/05/the-impact-of-bangladeshs-political-shift-on-north-east-indias-geopolitics-and-security/ |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=Modern Diplomacy |language=en-US}}

Immigration from Bangladesh has been a concern for indigenous populations in Northeast India, which oppose significant demographic change. This immigration has led to historical movements such as the Assam Movement of the 1980s.{{Cite web |last=Phom |first=Angshom |last2=Seth |first2=Chan |date=13 September 2024 |title=A Glimpse of Bangladesh’s Political Crisis from Northeast India |url=https://morungexpress.com/a-glimpse-of-bangladeshs-political-crisis-from-northeast-india |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=The Morung Express}} In the early 21st century, some people in Assam and other states were deported to Bangladesh on suspicion of having illegally immigrated from Bangladesh (see also: National Register of Citizens for Assam).{{Cite web |date=2025-06-04 |title=Assam: 'I was pushed across the border into Bangladesh at gunpoint' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqj78v79z9do |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}

In 2025, India restricted its imports from Bangladesh after comments by caretaker Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus and others regarding Northeast India were deemed to be a threat, with the reduction in border trade impacting northeastern communities.{{Cite news |title=How border trade restrictions are impacting lives, livelihoods in the northeast |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/how-border-trade-restrictions-are-impacting-lives-livelihoods-in-the-northeast-101748595604020.html |work=Hindustan Times}}

{{Main|Bhutan–India relations}}Bhutan helped open up air routes from Northeast India to Southeast Asia in 2018.{{Cite web |title=Northeast India Gets Closer to ASEAN, Courtesy of Bhutan |url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/09/northeast-india-gets-closer-to-asean-courtesy-of-bhutan/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}} In the same year, Bhutan also opened its second consulate in the easternmost portions of India in Guwahati, Assam.{{Cite web |title=India’s New Gateway to Bhutan |url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/02/indias-new-gateway-to-bhutan/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}}

{{Main|Neglect of Northeast India}}

{{See also|Inner Line Permit|Insurgency in Northeast India}}File:Siliguri Corridor sketch with Asian Highway segment.jpg connects non-Northeast India and Northeast India]]

Present-day Northeast India started to be annexed into British India in the early 19th century to defend the eastern frontier from the incursions of the Burmese Empire, with Assam becoming part of the Bengal Presidency until 1874.{{Cite news |title=How India's northeast rose against the British |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/how-indias-northeast-rebelled-against-the-british/articleshow/93479614.cms |access-date=2025-01-09 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} The treatment of the Northeast as separate from the rest of India during the colonial era has continued to negatively impact its integration into the Republic of India.{{Cite web |last=Phanjoubam |first=Pradip |date=2024-12-04 |title=The Northeast dares India to reinvent Itself |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2024/Dec/04/the-northeast-dares-india-to-reinvent-itself |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}

File:Limbu-people-Limbuwan-Nepal-Sikkim-map.jpg live along the border of Nepal and Sikkim|left]]

Some retired Nepali troops settled in Northeast India during the colonial era. In the present day, there has been some indigenous backlash to the Nepali diaspora.{{Cite journal |last=Dutt |first=Srikant |date=2021-09-10 |title=Migration and Development: The Nepalese in Northeast |url=https://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/?id=182 |journal=European Bulletin of Himalayan Research |language=en |issue=56 |doi=10.4000/ebhr.182 |issn=0943-8254|doi-access=free }}

Sikkim's 1975 accession to India was influenced by its ties to Nepal, as its ethnically Nepali population felt discriminated against by the Sikkimese government and sought better treatment by joining India.{{Cite web |last=Times |first=Nepali |date=2021-07-03 |title=Letting go of Sikkim's ghost |url=https://nepalitimes.com/banner/letting-go-of-sikkims-ghost |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=nepalitimes.com}}

{{See also|1947 Sylhet referendum}}

India has sought to use Northeast India to connect to Southeast Asia for trading purposes. However, recent conflicts such as the 2023–2024 Manipur violence have reduced the stability of the region for this purpose.{{Cite web |title=As Manipur Burns, India’s Connectivity Plans in Southeast Asia Go Up in Smoke |url=https://thediplomat.com/2023/07/as-manipur-burns-indias-connectivity-plans-in-southeast-asia-go-up-in-smoke/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}}

{{See also|India–Myanmar relations|Involvement of Northeast Indian insurgents in the Myanmar conflict}}

File:Flag Map of British Raj (India).png

Myanmar is the only Southeast Asian country that borders Northeast India. Both places were part of British India for several decades; the dynamics of British rule in the region, which was the first time that a pan-Indian empire had fully conquered the Northeastern South Asian space, and Myanmar's 1937 separation from Indian administration, still affect their border regions today.[https://dkiapcss.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/PDFs/Edited%20Volumes/ReligiousRadicalism//PagesfromReligiousRadicalismandSecurityinSouthAsiach10.pdf Ethnicity, Ideology and Religion: Separatist Movements in India’s Northeast] Subir Bhaumik{{Cite journal |last=Guyot-Réchard |first=Bérénice |date=2021 |title=Tangled Lands: Burma and India's Unfinished Separation, 1937–1948 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/abs/tangled-lands-burma-and-indias-unfinished-separation-19371948/76F4F6EC5CB7E7CC1B4DE7E8730CA788 |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |language=en |volume=80 |issue=2 |pages=293–315 |doi=10.1017/S0021911820000017 |issn=0021-9118|url-access=subscription }}

There are substantial cross-border ethnic ties, with the Indian government having allowed a limited amount of unregulated movement across the border from 2018 to 2024.{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Yashraj |title=‘We’re a single village’: India seals Myanmar border, dividing families |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/4/11/were-a-single-village-india-seals-myanmar-border-dividing-families |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

{{See also|India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway}}

The Tai peoples of Northeast India share ethnic and linguistic ties with Thai people. There are also analogues of Thailand’s Songkran festival in Northeast India (Sangken in Arunachal Pradesh and Bohag Bihu in Assam).{{Cite web |date=2022-07-31 |title=NE India festival opens in Bangkok as Delhi eyes Asean gateway |url=https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40018355 |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=nationthailand |language=en-US}}

• Eastern Himalayas
• Pacific Asia
• Tea Horse Road

{{Reflist}}{{Northeast India}}{{Cultural appreciation}}

Category:Northeast India

Northeast India