Last year, a team led by Nepali Congress lawmaker of Karnali Province, Jeevan Bahadur Shahi after his 11-day on-site visit to the Nepal-China border in Humla district has found Nepal’s territory encroached by China. As per the bare eyes observation of Shahi, China has even constructed a road in Nepal’s territory, removed the border pillar. A team led by Shahi has been claiming that the pillars on Humla’s northern border — Pillars No. 9, 10, 11, 12, 5 (1), 6 (1), 7 (1), and 8 (1), adding that Pillar No 12 was damaged. He added that the Chinese side had replaced pillar no. 12 in such a way that a large chunk of Nepal’s territory had gone into China.
In the last decade, Shahi is the single person holding a political position who has raised the expansionist move of China in Nepal. In Nepal, it is very easy to allege an American or Indian agent when someone puts concern on China’s activities in Nepal. So-called senior politicians demonstrate their neutrality and provide a soft corner to China.
In Nepal, ‘paper-based communist parties’ feel as if they are an integral part of the Communist Party of China (CPC). To show their ideological hegemony inside communists parties in Nepal, CPC has furnished several ideological exchanges with their Nepali counter parts. Literally, Nepalese communists have blind love for the dragon.
Since Deuba formed a committee to study the China-Nepal border issue, there have been differences within Nepali political parties. For the past few days, the Democratic Socialist Party has been agitating in Kathmandu, demanding the return of Nepali land seized by China. However, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, the president of the Maoist center, and Upendra Yadav, the president of the People’s Socialist Party Nepal had rushed to the current Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuwa to put their concern, that the government must not invite any controversy related to the neighbor of Nepal. Upon the demand raised by Jivan Shahi last year, KP Oli’s government had refuted the claim.
In 2020, when the ultra-nationalist KP Sharma Oli dared to update the Country’s political map in the constitution of Nepal featuring Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura, one of the parliamentarians, Sarita Giri had asked only to see the evidence-based on which the claim was being made for the new map. But, her party president, Upendra Yadav suspended her for opposing the constitutional amendment to revise the country’s map.
Similarly, the same Upendra Yadav, had suspended its lawmaker Pradeep Yadav from the primary membership of the party for six months for his involvement in an event related to the ‘Free Tibet Movement’ held in Latvia in 2019. To this, an official from the Chinese Embassy to Nepal had poured their grievances to the then Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara over the Yadav’s participation in the program related to Tibet.
Hereby, two incidents that took place in 1960’s need to be depicted to corroborate that how the Chinese have their eyeball over Nepal’s glory, i.e. the Mt. Everest. In fact China had claimed the Everest their own. On April 21, 1960, a large anti-China demonstration took place in Kathmandu.
BP Koirala‘s visit to China raised the issue of formal demarcation of the border. Both sides agreed to this. But the controversy over Mount Everest fractured the dialogue. The Chinese side claimed that the whole of Mount Everest was on their side. BP denied that and urged the Chinese side not to claim the entire Everest. But the Chinese government was not ready. According to Gopal Khanal in his book Bhurajniti, BP shared the statement with the Nepali people after returning from a visit to China.
Another historic event is July 1, 1967. A Chinese stall was also set up at the funfair organized on the occasion of King Mahendra’s auspicious reign. In front of it was a large portrait of Mao. Nepali students demanded that it be removed and that the Nepali flag is placed on top of the Chinese flag. The Chinese traders stationed at the stalls ignored their demands.
When the enraged Nepali students tried to force their way into the Chinese shop, the police used force and dispersed the angry Nepali students. More outraged students marched around the city protesting the Chinese expansionist policy, including the slogan ‘Expansanist China Murdawad.’ The Chinese jeep, library, Nepal-China Friendship Association building, and Chinese propaganda literature were set on fire.
If we look retrospectively we can know how China had to have ill intentions over Nepal’s territory. To veil the mala-fide intention, China penetrates its resources in Nepali media and political parties as well. Regarding the political parties, they used to have different nexus with the core communists. Nowadays, China has created space inside Madhes based parties as well with the help of Upendra Yadav.
Although by using different leaders and media China wants to influence the study committee. Ordinary people of Nepal are concerned about this. Why the communist leaders are showing proximity for China has become a big question today. Do the communist leaders along with pseudo-communist Upendra Yadav prioritizing China’s interest than their own motherland? Hope, this time the real face of dragon could be unveiled!