DANGEROUS CROSSING: - International Campaign for Tibet

DANGEROUS CROSSINGS: CONDITIONS IMPACTING THE FLIGHT OF TIBETAN REFUGEES, 2011
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his public harassment may have been enough to appease Chinese con-
cerns in Nepal.
Lharkyal Lama maintained throughout that this was a “character assas-
sination” that would have repercussions for the “Prime Minister Jhala
Nath Khanal and the government as well as all indigenous nationalities
of the mountains, minorities and Lamas of the country.” 93 The daily
newspapers in Kathmandu ran stories that seemed to exploit his Bud-
dhist background that included a photo of Lharkyal Lama with the Dalai
Lama. That Nepali citizens of Himalayan origin are at risk of having their
faith politicized and obstacles put in the way of their accessing political
power in Nepal by the Chinese government, raises serious issues of
state-sanctioned discrimination.
2) Buying Nepal
Although India remains Nepal’s major financial supporter, since 2006, China
has gone from being a bit player to one of Nepal’s “top five development
partners.” 94
Trade significantly increased between China and Nepal after the signing of a
trade Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries in 2009. 95
India still remains Nepal’s main trading partner – its 2010 tally accounting for
around half of Nepal’s total trade that year 96 – but China is catching up. The
trade volume between China and Nepal in 2010 was around US $744 million,
up 80 percent from 2009, although this is massively imbalanced in China’s
favor. 97 China’s Ambassador to Nepal, Yang Houlan recognized the imbalance
in a 2011 interview with The Kathmandu Post and spoke of the measures
China is taking to right this, including the introduction of a zero-tariff facility
for over 4,000 Nepali goods. 98
The planned construction of dry ports by China at strategic points along the
Nepal-Tibet border will also facilitate further trade. The Hindu reported that in
2011, China created a port of entry at Gyirong in Tibet, in order to create a
further passage for land trade with Nepal that would include a 44.5-sq.km.
“cross-border free trade zone” with Nepal. 99
Tourism has also formed a significant part of trade talks, with China agreeing
to promote Nepal as a tourist destination. As a result, Chinese tourist num-
bers rose by almost 75% between 2010 and 2011. 100
Since the cessation of Nepal’s armed conflict, Saferworld (an international
NGO that works to prevent violent conflict and promote cooperative ap-
proaches to security) has reported a “dramatic” increase in Chinese aid to Ne-