China rejects Nepali opposition claims of border landgrab
- Nepali politician says Chinese troops built a series of concrete structures about 1km inside the country
- Beijing and Kathmandu say the accusation is unfounded
Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, a provincial lawmaker of the opposition Nepali Congress party, said Chinese troops had crossed the border and built nine concrete structures about 1km inside Nepal, at Limi in the district of Humla bordering Tibet.
Shahi, who represents the area, said China did not object when Nepali villagers built a road in the sparsely populated area 10 years ago.
“They are now saying the small valley belongs to them,” Shahi said.
The claims were first reported on Tuesday by London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, which quoted Shahi and another Nepali politician as saying China had annexed dozens of hectares from the Himalayan nation bordering Tibet, beginning in May.
“It is not true that China has encroached our land and had constructed buildings there,” said Sewa Lamsal, a spokeswoman for Nepal’s foreign ministry, but she did not elaborate.