Are India and Nepal friends again because of concerns over China?
- After months of acrimony over territorial disputes, relations between the Himalayan neighbours have warmed
- For both countries, a major common concern is the increasing influence of Beijing across the subcontinent, with India looking to counter China’s moves in Nepal
Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli of Nepal met Indian army chief M.M. Naravane in Kathmandu on Friday in the first high-level contact between the Himalayan neighbours in months, with analysts saying it signalled both sides were aiming for a thaw in their frosty relations.
The countries have been at loggerheads since last year, when Nepal objected to a map released by India showing control over a region in dispute. The issue was aggravated after Nepal released its own territorial map that included areas controlled by India, prompting New Delhi to describe it as a “cartographic assertion” and an “artificial enlargement” of Kathmandu’s claims.
Nepal also objected in May when Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a new road in border territory controlled by India but claimed by its neighbour. Naravane, reacting to Kathmandu’s opposition to the new road, had hinted at China’s role in pushing Nepal to take up the issue.
Oli subsequently hit out at India, which now has more than 8.4 million coronavirus cases, describing Covid-19 as the “India virus” and blaming it for the rise in infections in Nepal.
On Friday, however, both sides struck conciliatory notes. Oli’s political adviser Rajan Bhattarai told Indian news agency ANI that the premier had called the relationship between the two countries “longstanding and special”.
“The prime minister expressed confidence that there was a good friendship between Nepal and India and that the issues between the two countries would be resolved through dialogue,” Bhattarai added.