- Chinese influence and interference in the Himalayan country has increased and the Communist government has laid a red carpet for Chinese officials and companies.
- A Nepal government report pointed to Beijing encroaching on about 36 hectares of Nepal’s land and also that it stood to lose a further several hundred hectares of land to Beijing.
- Huawei, the Chinese company which has been infamous for hacking and data theft, hacked 200 Nepali websites, including some government websites.
- Chinese Nationals hacked ATMs of many prominent banks including Nepal Rashtriya Bank and this caused massive public outrage against China.
- Chinese people and companies were found to be involved in bride trafficking, hacking, and data theft in Nepal.
- There is a growing fear in Nepal that China’s debt trap diplomacy encroaching land, water, air may follow in Nepal.
- It is for the people of the two countries to realise that the destiny and fortune of both are inter-linked and any attempts by forces inimical to the interests of both the civilizations have to be resisted and terminated.
Nepal is the world’s 45th-biggest country in the world, with a population of 29 million people. The country’s total area is almost equal to that of Bangladesh and is double Sri Lanka’s. The country takes pride in its history of never having been colonised and has an important geostrategic position, with India and China on either side.
China’s engagement in Nepal is not new. Chinese influence and interference in the Himalayan country has increased. The Communist government has laid a red carpet for Chinese officials and companies. But, the common people of Nepal are fed up with China’s illegal activities and widespread protests are being held now.
In 2019, protesters in Nepal took to the streets and burned effigies of Chinese President Xi Jinping over a report from the government that pointed to Beijing encroaching on about 36 hectares of Nepal’s land. The government data further suggested Nepal stood to lose a further several hundred hectares of land to Beijing. The angry, predominantly young demonstrators shouted and held signs that read “Go back to China!” and “Return Nepali land” across several districts of the country in November 2019.
The anger is based on a document recently released by Nepal’s Survey Department concerning four districts across Nepal’s northern border that it shares with China. The districts losing land due to expanded Chinese road projects are Sankhuwasabha, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchowk and Humla. The document suggested that further land losses to Beijing are probable.
Why are Nepal’s young generation and common Nepalis protesting against Chin? Here are the answers. The First reason is encroachment of land and the Nepal government has not taken any action against the ally. The people of Nepal are brave enough to protest against Communist diktat.
Two China is carrying out several illegal activities in order to control Nepal. Huawei, the Chinese company which has been infamous for hacking and data theft, hacked 200 Nepali websites, including some government websites. The Nepalese people held a protest in front of the Huawei office and shouted anti-China, anti-Huawei slogans. The protesters also tried to enter Huawei’s office but were arrested by the police.
Thirdly, in September 2019 Chinese Nationals hacked ATMs of many prominent banks including Nepal Rashtriya Bank and this caused massive public outrage against China. The ATM scandal was not made public as the Communist government of Nepal wanted to protect Chinese interest. The ATM scandal was carried out by tinkering Nepal Electronic System (NEPS), which put the whole Nepalese banking system at risk.
Fourthly, in 2019, Chinese people and companies were found to be involved in bride trafficking, hacking, and data theft in Nepal. Few Chinese who were involved in trafficking Nepali girls and women to China as brides,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Ishwar Babu Karki. The people in China are ready to pay millions for brides as they are able to marry given skewed sex ration in China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was the first Chinese president in over 20 years to visit the Himalayan country in 2019 and had signed 17 agreements dealing with health, agriculture, industry, tourism and infrastructure, among other areas.
However there is a growing fear in Nepal that China’s debt drap diplomacy encroaching land, water, and air may follow in Nepal. So the mass unrest against the Government and China which started in 2019 is expected to continue even in 2021.
In conclusion, India and Nepal have always had a good and cordial relation. While the other big neighbor China which is accused of encroaching land, water, and air of small, medium and vulnerable countries, India has always stood by Nepal throughout its journey.
Nepal has to be cautious of China. Statistics show the importance of India-Nepal relations. As per the estimates of Nepalese government, there are around 1 million Nepalese migrant workers in India while the number of Nepalis in China is minuscule (3,500 in Mainland and 15,950 in Hong Kong) as of 2017. That alone shows the importance of India-Nepal relations over that with China.
It is for common Nepalese who have to understand as historically, religiously the two countries are bonded as brothers. It is for the people of the two countries to realise that the destiny and fortune of both are inter-linked and any attempts by forces inimical to the interests of both the civilizations have to be resisted and terminated.
M.AM.PhiL/(PhD SNU South Korea)
Aayush Pal 
Balaji Subramanian