US Intrudes Into ‘Chinese Zone’; Pumps In Men, Money & Military Close To One Of China’s Most Sensitive ‘No Go’ Areas
EXPERT REVIEWS
By Sakshi Tiwari June 21, 2022
With tensions escalating between the US and China, the Himalayan country of Nepal has emerged as a new frontier between the two rivals competing for geopolitical influence.

While the US has denied any malice in intention, China believes it is an American ploy to court Nepal into the Indo-Pacific strategy.

In February, Nepal’s Parliament ratified a $500 million US government aid under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) after weeks of back and forth among the ruling coalition. The issue sparked mass protests in the country over fears that Kathmandu could lose its sovereignty.

The ratification sent alarm bells ringing in China, which shares a border with Nepal and has been assisting it with several developmental projects under its Belt and Road Initiative.

Chinese State media Global Times had then referred to the pact as US manipulation of Nepal aimed at targeting China.
It was followed by a flurry of high-level visits by US officials to Nepal. The most significant visit, however, was of the Commanding General of the US Army Pacific, Charles Flynn.

The US reportedly invited Nepal to join its Strategic Partnership Program (SPP), sparking protests within the country all over again due to it being a military contract.

Local Nepalese media reported that the US has been urging Nepal to join the SPP since 2015, and it forwarded a draft agreement to the Nepali government for review in April this year.