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China promises to give Nepal a million Covid-19 vaccines as it seeks to cement closer ties
- Offer of support is latest sign of improving relationship that has also seen Nepal expand its diplomatic presence by opening a new consulate
- Chinese President Xi Jinping offered to help in a call with his Nepalese counterpart Bidya Devi Bhandari last week
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China has promised to supply a million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Nepal in the latest sign of a warming relationship between the two countries.
In another indicator of their increasing closeness, on Tuesday Nepal opened a new consulate general in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, its fifth diplomatic office in the country.
The opening of the office, hailed by both sides as an important step to promote exchanges in trade and culture, was followed by a top-leader call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Nepalese counterpart Bidya Devi Bhandari on Wednesday, when Xi promised to “provide for and support” the Himalayan country as it fights one of the world’s worst Covid-19 outbreaks.
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While the official statement from the Chinese foreign ministry did not specify what support would be provided, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi posted on Twitter that Xi had promised to “provide 1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Nepal under grant assistance”.
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The latest display of a closer bond between the two countries came as China stepped up its efforts to support South Asian countries in their fight against the pandemic.
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Lin Minwang, a professor at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, said the relationship with Nepal has become increasingly important to China considering the current geopolitical climate with India.
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