IN FOCUS
By Keerthana Nambiar

China’s border dispute with Nepal: The Border Dispute

In February, the BBC published an article on a report leaked from the Nepalese side accusing China of encroaching into Nepal’s border. The report was originally commissioned in September 2021 claiming that China has been trespassing in the far western district of Humla in Nepal.

Following the report, Nepal’s Communications Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said: “Either with India or with China, if there are any issues at our border we will resolve them through diplomatic means… Such problems should not arise and the Nepal government will always make efforts to prevent such situations.”

The Chinese embassy in Nepal has been denying any encroachment. Global Times pointed out the issue as a “smear campaign against China amid applause for the Beijing Winter Olympics.

A brief note on China-Nepal border
China and Nepal’s common border runs for nearly 1,439 km along the Himalayan mountains after the series of treaties signed in 1963. The border is extremely remote and inaccessible due to the difficult terrain and complex geography. The watershed principle of the Himalayan range was used to demarcate the boundaries between Nepal and China. The area consists of mountain peaks, various passes, and pasture lands.

According to the 1961 Border Treaty and various protocols, the border is marked by a chain of 100 main and subsidiary pillars. The protocol has been renewed three times and the basic rule for an inspection was laid out every five years. 

The border disputes have always been minor until the construction of eleven Chinese buildings in the district of Humla on the Nepali side. In June 2020, Indian media started reporting on the Chinese encroachment in Nepal claiming it as “Chinese expansionism.” The Nepali media followed up on the issue drawing a document by Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture from 2017 alleging China of encroaching Nepal’s territory in ten places. As the issue escalated, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture denied the existence of the report. The Nepali government directed the authorities of Humla district to study and submit reports on the Chinese constructions in the territory. The report reaffirmed that the construction was not within the Nepali territory and stated that an inter-ministerial team concluded that the Chinese constructions were within China’s territory.

After internal strife between the Nepali Congress and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a resolution was passed in parliament calling on Nepali Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli “to bring back these encroached territories by holding dialogue.” The issue carried on with Nepali Congress lawmaker alleging China of replacing the pillar on the border which gave away Nepali territory to China. These allegations turned into protests calling on to stop Chinese encroachment on the Nepali territory.

In a nutshell, Nepal has the task of crafting activities of local authorities and provincial leaders and foreign policy. Kathmandu’s stance on border disputes is getting mired in the internal politics of the country. Even though China and Nepal maintain a dormant mechanism on the border issues, the Nepali people living near the borders are socially affiliated to Nepal and economically to the Chinese markets. Nepali governments are concerned regarding the infiltration of the country from China but refrain from taking any drastic measures. Recent developments have triggered occasional protests in Kathmandu without any yielded progress.

The Nepali government has been less than successful with foreign policies with regard to China. Beijing’s continuous interference in Nepali politics and local communities have antagonized Nepal and Nepali citizens against China. Beijing’s territorial ambitions in the security realm have provoked frequent anti-China demonstrations in Kathmandu. Nepal’s economic relations with China are of utmost importance. Starting with the construction, infrastructure to agriculture and hydropower China has a large sphere of influence. The intricate trade relations between both the countries were the weakened Indian influence in Nepal. With the transit agreement for the Belt and Road Initiative, both the Nepal and China are to be committed to fulfilling their duties in the agreement. 

References
“China encroaching along Nepal border - report,” BBC, 8 February 2022
“BBC's China-Nepal border dispute hype a 'smear campaign',” Global Times, 10 February 2022

IN BRIEF
By Avishka Ashok and Dincy Adlakha

INTERNAL
Beijing demography: Permanent residential pollution reduces in Beijing
On 2 March, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics announced that the number of permanent residents in Beijing has reduced by 4000 people in a year. The number reached 21.886 million by the end of 2021. Most of the population in Beijing is settled in urban cities, making up 87.5 per cent of the permanent population. There is also observed a decrease in the urban population as the number reached 19.161 million. (“Beijing sees decrease in permanent resident population,” Xinhua Net, 2 March 2022)

Response to COVID-19: Senior official in Inner Mongolia punished for ineffective management and COVID-19 surge
On 2 March, the Inner Mongolia’s Commission for Discipline Inspection announced that a senior official in Hohhot is punished due to the inability to contain the latest outbreak of the pandemic. The official from the capital city of Inner Mongolia was a member of the Standing Committee of the Hohhot Municipal Committee and has been given a severe warning. The grounds for this warning was the inefficient handling of the pandemic. Nationwide, more than 100 officials have been punished or given a warning for the weak response to COVID-19 outbreaks. (“Senior Inner Mongolia official punished for ineffective management amid COVID-19 surge,” Global Times, 3 March 2022)

National People’s Congress: NPC to hold press conference before important annual session
On 3 March, the National People’s Congress announced that the top legislature of China will hold a press conference on 4 March. The press conference will be arranged before opening the fifth session of the 13th NPC. Questions from media will be addressed via video link due to COVID-19 restrictions. The conference will be broadcasted live by China Media Group. (“China's national legislature to hold press conference ahead of annual session,” Global Times, 3 March 2022)

President Xi urges armed police force to protect CPC and people
On 2 March, Chinese President Xi Jinping encouraged the armed police force to serve as the faithful guardian of the people and the Party. He urged the police force in response to a letter from the People’s Armed Police Force Unit in Shanghai. He also praised the unit for its traditional role in the Part’s history and for carrying forward to the great spirit of the Communist Party of China. He reiterated the achievements and hard work of the unit and appreciated the efforts of the unit over the past 100 years of Party history. (“Xi tells armed police to always be faithful guardian of Party, people,” Xinhua Net, 2 March 2022)

PLA Navy introduces China’s first amphibious assault ship
On 2 March, Global Times reported that China’s first Type 075 amphibious assault ship, the Hainan is prepared for its initial operating capability. During a television program broadcast by CCTV,  Captain Lu Yongjun, the captain of the ship announced that the ship will be fully operable after a year of training. The warship is ready for deployment for small missions and will be able to participate in major missions in after training. Hainan is meant to enhance the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Navy and amphibious combat capability. (“China's 1st amphibious assault ship reaches initial operating capability, to make world tour,” Global Times, 2 March 2022) 

China releases its first white paper on parasports
On 3 March, China issued its first white paper on parasports reflecting on the country’s people with disabilities participating in competitive sports. The document elaborates on how China respects and protects human rights not only in theory and contributes to “Equality, Participation and Sharing.” The white paper also discusses the welfare system established by China that helps people with disabilities and encourage them for the Summer Paralympics and other international parasports events. (“White paper shows sports participation of people with disabilities amid China’s human rights protection,” Global Times, 3 March 2022)

REGIONAL
Taiwan power supply: Island restores power in majority areas after long outage
On 3 March, Taiwan’s major power generation plant Hsinta announced that the island is gradually restoring power supply in most of the southern areas. Approximately, five million households were affected by the long outage. The company explained that the transformer suffered a problem that caused the connection to trip. The plant is located in the southern city of Kaohsiung and suffered a high voltage. Currently, the authorities are also deploying hydro and other plants to bring electricity back to the island. (“Taiwan restoring power after outage that hit 5 million homes,” The Straits Times, 3 March 2022)