The result is that ´close´ relations between Nepal and China are getting closer, thanks to increased Chinese involvement in Nepal.
The Chinese ambassador to Nepal has started directly providing financial assistance in several parts of the country just as the Indian ambassadors have been doing for the past several years.
India has long been funding several development activities including construction of schools, health posts and other basic necessities directly from the embassy.
On June 26, Chinese ambassador Qiu Guohong reached Tanglung area in Mustang and provided RMB 200,000 assistance to a local school. His visit came soon after a group of western diplomats visited the district that shares borders with China.
This is probably the first public instance of Chinese envoy directly providing financial assistance in Nepal.
"China seems to have grown its interest in Nepal," says former Foreign Minister Chakra Bastola. "But it is not clear to what extent and what purpose China is interested in Nepal."
Bastola, who had also served as ambassador of Nepal to India in the past, said the frequency of visits of Chinese delegation in the recent months reflects a growing Chinese interest here. "Visits from India to Nepal are not even one fourth of the total Chinese visits to our country," he added. "To put in other words, India either has lost its interests in Nepal or takes Nepal just for granted."
Political analysts believe that China always stands for political stability in Nepal to avoid anti-China activities in Nepali soil. The downfall of monarchy coupled with increasing Tibetan protests in Kathmandu since March 2008 has made China more sensitive about its security.
China is trying to develop close relations not just at political level, but also at the bureaucratic and the people´s level.
Taking cue from the organizations like Nepal-India Friendship Society and Seema Jagaran Manch formed purportedly to strengthen people-to-peopla ties between Nepal and India, China too has started encouraging, and in many instances funding, the establishment of similar organizations in Nepal.
Latest in a series is the establishment of Nepal China Himalayan Friendship Society (NCHFS). The establishment of Nepal-China Media Forum a few months ago is another example.
The NCHFS aims to expand its network in 15 Himali (mountainous) districts sharing a border with China in the first phase, according to former UML lawmaker Ananda Prasad Pokharel, who heads the organization.
Organizations like China Information Center, Nepal China Executive Council, China Study Center and Nepal-China Investment Promotion Center are already in place.
Why this heightened interest in Nepal?
Chairman of China Study Center (CSC) Madan Regmi argues that the interests of China in Nepal has not increased "all of a sudden" as claimed by various quarters. "It has grown as a part of natural process," he says. "It will continue to grow in the days ahead."
Regmi admits that Chinese interest has grown to some extent in Nepal following the "anti-China activities" in Nepal last year. "Even as China does not have big business volume with Nepal, it cannot afford to ignore its immediate neighbor like Nepal partly due to sensitivity of her national security," he said.
Indeed, Chinese interests in Nepal are also manifested by the establishment of a large number of business ventures, mainly small scale ones, with Chinese investment in Nepal. As many as 546 businesses have been established in Nepal with Chinese investment in the last three years, according to Department of Industry.
There is equally growing interest of China to spread its language and cultures across the world including Nepal.
Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu has provided financial assistance to run Chinese language classes in Kathmandu University and a separate Confucius Institute in Itahari, Sunsari.
Wooing the judiciary, too
In recent years, Chinese embassy has arranged many visits of Nepali judicial officials to China.
At a time when the Supreme Court was hearing a case related to closure of Bhota Society, an NGO working for Tibetan refugees in Nepal, then Chief Justice Dilip Kumar Paudel visited China on January 31, 2007 on the invitation of his Chinese counterpart President of China´s Supreme Court Xiao Yang. This was the first official visit by any Nepali incumbent Chief Justice to China.
Supreme Court sources said Chinese embassy offered a similar visit to Paudel´s successor Kedar Prasad Giri. But Giri declined to visit, saying that he would visit China only if he is invited by his Chinese counterpart. Such offers have been made to high-ranking court officials as well. But they have replied to the embassy that they could visit China only after they are invited by the Chinese judiciary.
Last year, the Chinese embassy took two Supreme Court officials to Beijing for training on information technology. "Besides, China has expressed its interest in providing scholarship to judges and officers," said a knowledgeable source at the apex court on condition of anonymity.
Even though the Chinese interest in Nepal´s judiciary is new, it´s not new in Nepal´s military. What, however, is a recent development is that Nepal Police and Armed Police Force also seem to evince China´s interests, all under ´goodwill´ visit and scholarship for defense study.
China authorities have decided to provide National Defense Course (NDC) scholarship to Nepal Police and Armed Police Force (APF) officers, besides their regular quota to a Nepali Army (NA) officer. For the first time, China granted the scholarship to civilian officer -- then Kathmandu CDO Jaya Mukunda Khanal. It will be worthwhile to note that Khanal played a significant role in curbing the Tibetan protests.
In the last week of April, Chinese authorities took a 10-member team of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department to China on a 15-day tour. A 20-member Nepali team comprising bureaucrats and security officials is currently in Lhasa since last Friday.
Nepali government official contend that it is not just being "sensitive" about her security. "China wants to penetrate different sectors in Nepal, just like India has done," a senior Nepali government official told myrepublica.com.
koshraj@myrepublica.com
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