New Delhi: China is steadily expanding its footprint in Nepal not only through joint military programmes and by teaching Mandarin in Nepali schools, but also through training and grooming the country’s bureaucracy.
According to a 24 June report in The Kathmandu Post, the number of training and scholarship programmes offered by China for Nepalese civil servants has gone up by over 40 times in the last 15 years.
While Beijing offered just 20 training programmes in 2004, the number has gone up to 850 in 2019, leaving behind countries like the US, South Korea and some European nations, which also offer similar courses.
While the 850 courses have been allocated for the Nepal government’s finance ministry, the total number of courses offered by China for other ministries is expected to be even higher, the report said.
“In the past, the United States of America, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and some European countries provided such opportunities for civil servants, but China has completely eclipsed every other country with the large number of training programmes and scholarships on offer,” the report stated.
After Pakistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, China’s activities in Nepal seem to be an extension of its strategy to encircle India.
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‘Reason for India to worry’
S.D. Muni, a distinguished fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, said it is a reason for India to worry.
“This is evidence of China’s growing presence in Nepal — politically, administratively, economically, in terms of tourism — they are making their presence felt in every sphere,” he said.
“Training the bureaucrats is just one way to mark your presence in the country…India has done that earlier, China is doing the same now,” Muni added.
Achyut Wagle, an adjunct professor at Kathmandu University, also said it was a clear indication of China’s growing influence in the Himalayan country, and signifies a “paradigm shift” in Nepal’s governance.
“Nepal is a small country, so it always had influences…In the 1950s, Indian bureaucrats would sit in Nepal’s cabinet meetings — that was the kind of influence India had,” he said. “But ever since the (2015) blockade, India ceded that space entirely to China.”
The blockade of Nepal’s border with India was imposed in 2015 by the ethnic Madhesis in Nepal, who believed that the new Constitution did not give them fair representation in Parliament.
“Moreover, with the BRI (Border Road Initiative), there has been a general opening up of areas in which the Chinese can collaborate with Nepal…BRI is not just limited to infrastructure anymore,” Wagle said.
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China offering training in security, intelligence areas
According to a foreign affairs commentator in Nepal, China is offering training in a range of areas — from security to intelligence and administration.
“They are taking civil servants to Kunming in large numbers…And there, they are trained in a range of administration, security and intelligence-related areas,” the commentator said.
The civil servants, who go to China (for training), are sent on paid leave, and receive scholarships and stipends from the Chinese government, the commentator said.
“It is like what they are doing in schools…It is not compulsory for students to learn Mandarin, but when a school approaches China for Mandarin teachers, they provide them for free — thus, encouraging more schools to sign up,” he added.
“They are increasing the influence in areas of military, language, teaching, governance. They are not leaving any stone unturned,” the commentator said.
Earlier this month, there were reports of at least 10 renowned private schools in Nepal making Mandarin compulsory — a move seen as a cause for concern for the Modi government over Nepal’s further shift towards China after it agreed to be a part of the Beijing-led multi-billion dollar mega infrastructure project, the BRI.
As part of the BRI, China is building a ‘Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network’, connecting Kathmandu to Xigaze.
India has also provided mid-term career enhancement programs on management, governance, leadership, etc. to bureaucrats in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, South East Asian countries, Africa, among others.
My Understanding is very Simple leave Nepal to Disentegrate in Chinas hands,thats the best lesson India should teach Nepal,Close the Border with Nepal,let them trade or learn Urdu,Mandarin whatever Nepal wants to do,Railway change to narrow gauge from Indias broad gauge is good for India, because it will be difficult for India to trade with Nepal.Once we stop trade with Nepal,Chinas purpose will get closed,they want the Indian market through Nepal,Thats All China wants,just like Pakistan wants Kashmir, because of Water not because they care for Kashmiris.Geographically Nepal will loose a lot,as India and its ports are Closer ,once Chinas realises India is not around Nepal .Nepal will not Exist on Planet Earth,it will be Chinese Territory like Tibet,China will show some fabricated old documents to prove Nepal is Chinese Territory just like South China Sea.,they are building their own Grave,Even God will not be Able to save Nepal.This is what happens to Ungrateful Nations.India will be A great Economy by Then and China will have Communisim Issues,I hope they teach Nepal how to keep its population under Internet Firewall so that Nepal can be a Comunist Nation just like China.
If you don’t have any knowledge of national security and foreign policy better to shut up.
You don’t even know the Indian history that Gorkhas continuously stand to protect and exist India in the planet and dare to comment that Nepal will not exist in the planet.
#Tejendra___kshetru is wright…👌👍️👏
Very good work, done by Chinese government in Nepal.
If indian media learn to be unbaised , and get a genuine reports specially of there present govt negative effects then India could hold its strong hand in South Asian countries. India is great but pathetic media in our country is ruining our democracy.
Strictly speaking the Chhetri-Bahun people of Nepal who comprised the ruling elites of the country are Indian diaspora only.
Most of them hold membership of their respective Gotra-samaj in the mainland India. They are equally bitter to Islam.
The Nepali Congress always remained as a branch of Indian National Congress until that fateful day of 2014 when India became a India free of Congress. So did Nepal in consequence. The India that emerged came to be termed new India.
It is not without reason that the leaders of new India projected Sardar Patel as the true father of Indian nation. They lamented that had Patel been the Prime Minister of India India would never have faced the unstable frontier.
The growing influence of China in Nepal indeed is worrisome for India.
Whoever wrote this news article needs to do complete unbiased research. The economic blockade of 2015 in Nepal was not done by ethnic group Madhesis. Those people were peotesting saying they were unhappy with the constitution. Since they live near border area they were protesting Near border. In the mean time there were upcoming elections in vihar and Modi government wanted to do well so Modi’s government did the economic blockade for the political purpose. It was indian government responsible for that pathetic and inhumane blockade. You need to better fact check and also held government accountabke for their wrong doing. All the indian news outlets almost never report wrongdoings of their government in case of forein policies and relations.
There is more air connectivity between Nepal and Chinese cities than with Indian destinations. In Bhutan, their numbers of tourists are smaller, but they are covered by the $ 250 per day stipulation. China’s gravitational field in Asia is overpowering everyone else’s.