After fighting land and sea battles, India and China are now competing to woo over the Himalayan state of Nepal. Nestled amongst the lofty mountains between the two economic superpowers Nepal’s location is strategic for peace and prosperity of the region.
Within the past ten days ago, foreign secretaries from both India and China have visited Nepal to improve ties with the former Kingdom. Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon visited Nepal to improve bilateral ties and assess the progress of commitments pledged between India and Nepal. Besides a friendly border, India and Nepal share strong political, economic and cultural ties. This week, Former king Gyanendra Shah will visit New Delhi and the eastern Indian state of Orissa on a goodwill mission. India will be the first country he visits after stepping down from the throne in 2006.
A few days ago, Liu Jieyi, China’s assistant foreign minister, arrived in Kathmandu to meet with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav and leaders of major political parties. Earlier this month, Beijing had also sent a six-member government delegation headed by its international department vice-minister Liu Hongcai.
China is worried that dissident pro-Tibet forces within Nepal might create problems in the run up to the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising and exile of the Dalai Lama which is on March 10th. The delegation also aims to improve bilateral ties and reiterate the ‘One China’ policy, official sources said.
However suspicions between India and China are also being raised as Beijing’s dominance in the region grows. China has offered to help Nepal retain sovereignty over the Terai plains – a region on the India-Nepal border currently under dispute. The larger neighbor is also strengthening rail links between China and Nepal, a development India is weary of.
I just cannot understand how Nepal, a Hindu country, with strong cultural ties with India, can even consider bringing in the devious, scheming, territory grabbing Chinese. They will end up like Tibet, it appears to me.
Because India is a “pain in the sciatica” to Nepal, always interferring in her internal affairs and grabbing Nepalese land by stealth and keeping Nepal economically dependent on India. China is a relief to Nepal providing largesse and development aid and as a hedge against Indian hegemony. Sri Lanka took that same route and they are now free of the Tamil problem and can now balance Indian influence with Chinese economic investment.
I have not heard of India grabbing any territory of Nepal EVER.
But, yes, China has invaded and militarily controls Tibet. The whole of East Turkmenistan (the Chinese creeps call it Xinjiang) does not belong to China.
And, as everyone knows, they are now trying to claim the Spratly and Paracel Islands for themselves (disputed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines amongst others). This in addittion to making the ludicrous claim that the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea are its “core interests”. The Chinese also have territorial disputes with Japan.
Nopes, China will do to Nepal what it did to Tibet.
@Carlos
This article is about Nepal and her foreign relations and I stand by what I say:
1) India tries to influence the outcome of the elections in Nepal through bot pressure from the outside and the use of Nepalese traitors internally.
2) Currently India is trying to force Nepalese government to sign an unequal extradition treaty.
3) India has disputes all along the border with Nepal. Nepal actually occupies Nepalese land at Kalapani. Other border incursions by Indians occur at Susta, Ilam, etc. Theft of border pillars are often found on the Indian side. The Indians are actually building concrete buildings in the disputed areas in the Morang district.
4)India wants Nepal to cancel the deal with France to print passports and award India the contract. That way India can instantly create Nepalese citizens from her own.
To The_Observer,
Perhaps, you are not aware of the really huge number of Nepalis who live and work in all parts of India. If India had not allowed this Nepal would have an even greater unemployment problem than they already do. Of course, it also provides India with cheap labour, but its not as if India doesn’t already have cheap labour or unemployment.
Of course, India would prefer that the pro-Chinese Maoists would not come to power just as India would not want Khaleeda Zia, a pro-Pakistani Islamist, to come to power in Bangladesh.
I a not aware of any major border dispute between India and Nepal. There may be minor matters but hardly anything that would cause any alarm, imho. If India wanted to take over Nepal (like China invaded Tibet in 1949), then it would have been child’s play for India.
Despite the fact that hundreds of “madrassas” (at Pakistan’s instigation) have come up all along India’s border with Nepal, India has shown remarkable restraint in not taking strong action, like fencing the border, not allowing Nepalis into India without stringent checks, etc, etc, etc.