China tries to allay India’s concerns

Ahead of President Xi Jinping’s back-to-back visits to India and Nepal between October 11 and 13, China has attempted to allay Indian apprehensions about the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Nepal, claiming that the Himalayan state would benefit out of India-China competition.

“Although India is enhancing its ties with Nepal partly because of geopolitical considerations to counter China’s increasing presence, this is not necessarily a bad thing because Nepal’s economy can benefit from Sino-Indian competition,” Chinese paper Global Times claimed in a commentary ahead of Xi’s trip.

“China’s increasing economic presence in Nepal has aroused vigilance in India, which still to some extent sees the nation as its backyard. India and Nepal in September inaugurated a cross-border oil pipeline, which will transport fuel to the landlocked country,” the commentary said.


Persons familiar with BRI projects in Nepal, however, said many proposed projects under China’s mega connectivity initiative in the Himalayan state were not practical and could push Nepal into a debt trap.

China on Wednesday said Xi’s forthcoming Nepal visit would result in “historic outcomes”, including a new blueprint for the trans-Himalayan connectivity network.

This would be the first official visit by a Chinese President to the Himalayan nation in 23 years. The $2.75b trans-Himalayan project under the controversial BRI is considered to be one of the most ambitious infrastructure plans undertaken by the Chinese government abroad.