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The bilateral relations between the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal and the People's Republic of China have been friendly and defined by Nepal's policy of balancing the competing influence of China and Nepal's southern neighbour India, the only two neighbors of the Himalayan state.[1][2]
[edit] Nepal, Tibet and China
Nepal's historical relations with China have been shaped by conflicts over territory and the control of Tibet. In 1792, Nepal was forced to sign a treaty stipulating the payment of tribute to China after the latter defeated Nepalese forces in Tibet.[1] China refused Nepal's request for assistance during Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-16), and the latter's defeat led to the establishment of the British Empire as the dominant power in the region.[1] Having retained its independence, Nepal continued to try to balance the influence of China and British India.[1] Nepal invaded Tibet in 1854, but hostilities ended soon after China intervened,; the Treaty of Thapathali, concluded in March 1856, recognised the special status of China and Nepal's commitment to help Tibet in the event of foreign aggression.[1] In the 19th century, Nepal aligned itself with the British Raj in India and supported its invasion of Tibet in 1908.[1] When China sought to claim Tibet in 1910, Nepal sided with Tibet and Britain and broke relations with China after Tibet drove Chinese forces out in 1911.[1]
[edit] Diplomatic relations and Nepalese neutrality
The occupation of Tibet in 1950 by the armed forces of Communist China raised significant concerns of security and territorial integrity in Nepal and India, drawing both nations into a close relationship with extensive economic and military ties.[3][4][5] China imposed restrictions on the entry of Nepalese pilgrims and contacts with Tibet, and increased its support for the Communist Party of Nepal, which was opposed to the Nepalese monarchy.[4][1] The 1950 Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship that had established a close Indo-Nepalese relationship on commerce, defence and foreign relations, was increasingly resented in Nepal, which began seeing it as an encroachment of its sovereignty and an unwelcome extension of Indian influence; the deployment of an Indian military mission in Nepal in the 1950s increased these concerns.[4]
In 1955, Nepal established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and exchanged resident ambassadors by 1960. In 1956, both nations signed a new treaty terminating the Treaty of Thapathali of 1856 and Nepal recognised Tibet as a part of China.[1] In 1960, Nepal and China signed a boundary settlement agreement and a separate treaty of peace and friendship. Nepal also began supporting Communist China's bid for membership in the United Nations.[1] In 1961, Nepal and China agreed to build an all-weather road connecting the Nepalese capital Kathmandu with Tibet. During the Sino-Indian War of 1962, Nepal maintained neutrality.[1]
[edit] Economic and strategic relations
In the 1970s King Birendra of Nepal proposed Nepal as a "zone of peace" between India and China and in the 1980s, Nepal began importing Chinese weaponry in contravention of its 1950 treaty with India and has since sought to establish extensive military cooperation in a move to reduce perceived Indian influence.[2][3][1] When the United States, United Kingdom and India refused to supply arms to the regime of King Gyanendra of Nepal, who had assumed direct rule to suppress the Maoist insurgency during the Nepalese civil war (1996 - 2006), China responded by dispatching arms to Nepal, in spite of the ideological affinity of the Maoists with China.[6][7] After the peace process and national elections in Nepal in 2008, the new Maoist-led government announced its intentions to scrap Nepal's 1950 treaty with India, indicating a stronger move towards closer ties with China.[6][8][9] In 2007-08, China began construction of a 770-kilometre railway connecting the Tibetan capital of Lhasa with the Nepalese border town of Khasa, connecting Nepal to China's wider national railway network.[10]
[edit] References
