Coldness in Sino-Nepalese relations, - Experts say 'China exhorting unannounced blockade in Nepal' 

In a dramatic twist, the activities of Hou Yanqi, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal, in the last few months, has not only drastically decreased but have come to zero with the change in the Nepali leadership.

Yanqi had earned a reputation for regularly visiting the Home Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister and members of Maoist Center during the earlier government.It was not new for her to visit Nepali ministires for  3-4 times in a month, which have come down to uncomfortable silence these days.

Along with her inactivity, Nepal's trade, diplomatic and military diplomacy from her country is also sluggish. The impact of dormant diplomacy and relations has been felt not only in trade but also in the future of military officers by withholding quotas from the National Defense Course for the past two years.

Experts prefer to call China's recent activities and coldness as "undeclared blockade."

Goods are being imported and exported between Nepal and China especially through two checkpoints, Kerung in Rasuwa and Tatopani in Sindhupalchowk. However, imports from these ports have come to a standstill recently. Nepal does not do much export to China.

China currently allows up to seven vehicles to import goods from Kerung. Exports from this port are nil. Goods have not been imported from Tatopani for some time now.

China is the second largest exporter of goods to Nepal after India. As Nepal is a landlocked country, the border with these two neighboring countries is considered important for Nepal. If these countries create obstacles at the border with Nepal, it will have a direct impact on the economy here.

According to the customs department, goods have been imported from 141 countries in the first six months of the current fiscal year. The highest import of Rs 603.54 billion was from India during the period. After India, the largest import is from China.

In the first six months of the current fiscal year, goods worth Rs 1.45 billion were imported from China. However, Nepal does not export much to China.

Chief Customs Officer at the Kerung Customs Office, Ram Prasad Mainali, said that China has tightened its grip on the border, citing Kovid. According to him, since the beginning of Corona, China has not allowed any goods to be imported at the port.

‘Earlier, Nepali vehicles used to go up to China and bring goods. At present, the goods are being smuggled in from near the border’,he said. Goods up to seven vehicles are imported daily.

According to him, Nepal has been importing apples, hydro equipment, walnuts, readymade garments and other materials from China. However, Nepali businessmen have been facing problems from time to time bringing those goods.

Meanwhile, the situation is similar at Tatopani customs checkpoint. Since the earthquake, there has not been much activity at this port. For many years since then, the border has been closed. Chief Customs Officer at the Tatopani Customs Office, Narad Gautam, said that China had closed the Tatopani Customs Office again due to snowfall.

When the border is closed, most of the goods of Nepali businessmen are stuck in China. Nepali businessmen have been complaining that they have to bear the loss as the goods cannot be reused after being in the container for a long time. The businessmen's association has been submitting memorandums to the government for initiatives to ease the border with China, but to no avail.

Political analysts say the Corona is not the only reason for the inconvenience at the Chinese border. They say that the problem was due to the competition between China and the United States to implement their plans in Nepal.

Currently, the United States is trying to implement the MCC project in Nepal. However, China has already included Nepal in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In this situation, it is analyzed that China does not like the growing interest of the United States in Nepal and does not want to see Nepal participate in the MCC project.

However, the US is trying to implement the MCC agreement even if it has to wait. For this, the US has been pressuring MCC Vice President Fatima Sumar and other diplomats to implement MCC.

However, some analysts believe that China, which is increasing its dominance in the world, does not like the US move and is tightening its grip on the border to prevent the implementation of MCC.

However, China has said that it has been helping Nepal by unilaterally opening the border even in the midst of the Corona epidemic. A statement issued by the Chinese embassy in Nepal on January 13 stated that the government has given permission to supply consumables and health items even during the epidemic.

While China is making such claims, traders have been complaining about problems in imports. Businessmen and analysts say that China's current behavior indicates that it has imposed an "undeclared blockade" on Nepal.

However, the government has been ignoring the problem at the border with China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not taken any diplomatic initiative with China to ease the blockade, nor has it presented its official position on the matter. Analysts say that this war between China and the United States, like in other countries of the world, is affecting Nepal politically and economically.