China has India surrounded in their new Great Game

Think of South Asia as a giant Othello board. The squares are countries and slices of coveted territory. The players trying to cover the board with their black or white pieces are China and India. In the current round, China is winning. The latest square to come under Beijing's sway is Nepal, where a new pro-China government will be sworn in at the beginning of 2018. 

This marks a major change for the country, nestled in the Himalayas between the two ascendant regional powers. The incumbent Nepalese government has maintained a pro-India stance.

Read more