New ‘Great Wall’ casts shadow on Nepal

A Tibetan Buddhist altar in Hilsa. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

A CHINESE fence winds its way through the Himalayan mountains, dividing Tibet from Nepal with barbed wire and concrete fortifications.

In one of the most remote areas on Earth, Chinese surveillance cameras, bolstered by armed guards in watchtowers, maintain a constant watch.

Across the border, in Nepal’s Humla district, locals claim that China is slowly creeping into their land. Their accusations range from border encroachments to reports of Chinese security forces pressuring ethnic Tibetans not to display images of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.

The construction of new fences and barriers by China has also severed communities that have lived together for generations. Where thousands of Tibetans once fled Chinese presence by crossing into Nepal, that flow has nearly disappeared.

Nepal’s leaders, however, seem uninterested in acknowledging this growing issue. Despite a 2021 report highlighting Chinese border violations, the government has remained largely silent, their actions shaped by political and economic ties to China.

‘They don’t want us to see it’

“This is the new Great Wall of China,” said Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, a former provincial chief minister of the region. “But they don’t want us to see it.”

The fencing along the edge of Nepal’s Humla district is just a small part of a much larger network of fortifications that the Chinese government has built along its borders.

These fortifications, built to extend control over distant areas, also push into territories claimed by neighbouring countries, including Nepal.

During Xi Jinping’s rule, China has increasingly asserted its territorial claims across its borders.

From constructing new border settlements to expanding surveillance, China’s efforts have become a hallmark of its territorial ambitions, which have not gone unnoticed by global powers.

“Under Xi Jinping, China has doubled down on efforts to assert its territorial claims,” said Brian Hart, a fellow at the China Power Project of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

These efforts have intensified tensions along China’s periphery and put smaller nations like Nepal under immense pressure.

Nepal in denial

Despite mounting concerns, Nepal’s government has been largely passive.

Arzu Rana Deuba, Nepal’s foreign minister, told The New York Times that her attention has been focused on the southern border with India, where more Nepalis live.

“We have not really thought much of looking at the northern border – at least I haven’t,” she said.

In 2021, a fact-finding mission from the Nepali Home Ministry, supported by surveyors and police, travelled to Humla district.

Their goal was to investigate whether the boundary between Nepal and China had shifted.

The team used maps from the 1960s, when the border was first formally agreed upon.

After visiting remote border markers and speaking with locals, the mission submitted its findings to Nepal’s Cabinet. But the report, which documented a series of minor Chinese infringements, was never released to the public.

The report, now buried in secrecy, also raised concerns about China’s broader geopolitical ambitions and the risk of antagonising a much stronger neighbour.

For Nepal, with a population of around 30 million and a fragile economy, the stakes are high.

“There has been no joint inspection of the border since 2006,” one Nepali official said, contradicting claims from former foreign minister NP Saud that border inspections happen regularly.

Saud later revised his statement, acknowledging the long delay in resolving the issue.

The Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu declined to comment on the matter. However, China has consistently positioned itself as a force for peace in the region.

Pan Yue, head of China’s National Ethnic Affairs Commission, said China “never sought to conquer or expand territorially, never colonised neighbouring countries.”

A divided land

While Nepal remains silent, Humla residents continue to report Chinese presence on their side of the border.

Hilsa, a Nepali village near the frontier, contrasts sharply with China’s well-developed side.

Modern infrastructure, roads, and high-tech surveillance have transformed the Chinese side, while Hilsa remains underdeveloped, without paved roads or reliable electricity.

Chinese authorities have also tightened their grip on Tibetan refugees.

Surveillance and fencing along the Tibetan border have virtually cut off Tibetans’ traditional escape route into Nepal. For those ethnic Tibetan Nepalis living near the border, the presence of Chinese forces is an unsettling reminder of Beijing’s far-reaching control.

According to locals, Chinese officials have frequently crossed into Nepal without going through immigration procedures, intimidating villagers and, at times, even capturing Tibetans who fled across the border.

“We are just a tiny country, and they are China,” said Lhamu Lama, a local official from Humla District. “What can we do?”

The Chinese government’s growing presence is hard to ignore for those who live along the border.

Pema Wangmu Lama, a Tibetan refugee now living in Nepal, expressed the fears shared by many in the region.

“China is big and powerful, so it can do what it wants,” she said. “Even if Hilsa is swallowed up one day, who would know or care what’s happening here?” — ©2024 The New York Times Company