Amid China-India rivalry, Nepal’s political shift tips scales in favour of Beijing
Amid China-India rivalry, Nepal’s political shift tips scales in favour of Beijing
www.scmp.com
Nepal’s political shift changes regional dynamics amid China-India rivalry
On March 13, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” won a vote of confidence in parliament. His Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre)’s decision to ally with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) – known for its Beijing ties – and move away from the New Delhi-leaning Nepali Congress, marks a significant shift in the country’s politics.
Does China need Nepal to fight India?
The rivalry between India and China is mostly economic. Nepal has neither a large economy nor much natural resources, so no.
However, this will worry a lot of people here in India. Nepal alone might not mean much, but China has been getting closer to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan and of course Pakistan. To be fair, this is partly our fault - we took these countries' support for granted and failed to treat them with due respect.
They're both nuclear countries, so that's a bit of an academic consideration anyway.