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
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.
01:55
China cancels spring Everest climbing season over Nepal Covid-19 cases
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.
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.
“Among the South Asian countries, Nepal became the first to have representation in Chengdu,” Lin said, citing an unfulfilled 2015 agreement with India to establish an office in the city and a Chinese mission in Chennai.
“The bilateral relationship between Nepal and China has always been one of the better ones among South Asian countries, there aren’t a lot of major obstacles … While Nepal may not seem like it carries high geopolitical value to China when considering its population and economic size … if we look at things from a wider perspective for China, maintaining the good relationship is very important for Beijing on many levels, and will bring a lot of constructive and strategic value to China’s border stability,” Lin said, referring to Nepal’s border with Tibet.
Nepal, landlocked and sandwiched between China in the north and India in the south, has especially struggled to secure medical equipment and liquid oxygen after India stopped exporting these materials as it struggled with its own Covid-19 crisis. Last week Hou said China was providing its neighbour with 30,000 litres of liquid oxygen, 800 filled oxygen cylinders, 10 oxygen concentrators, 5 ventilators, 200 ICU beds and 15,000 antigen kits.
Bhaskar Koirala, director of the Nepal Institute of International and Strategic Studies in Kathmandu, said: The enhancement of bilateral relations between China and Nepal will create positive impetus on the economic and political fronts.
“These same factors will also create ripple effects that will surely lead to an acceleration of other big power interests in Nepal.”
China has offered support to a number of other South Asian countries – including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – while India struggles with its own outbreak.
03:12
‘India is a horrifying preview,’ says Red Cross as Nepal’s Covid-19 cases rise
Last month at a meeting that India did not attend it promised to set up a supplies reserve and poverty alleviation cooperation centre.
