Slamming China for its “expansionist policies”, the President of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay has warned Nepal that China has been looking at occupying the entire sub-continent since the 1960s after the occupation of Tibet. Sangay said that what China did with Tibet, it is looking at emulating the same with Nepal. In a bid to bolster its expansionist policies in the Indian subcontinent region, “China is driving a wedge between centuries-old Indo-Nepal relations to quietly colonise the Himalayan country,” said the Tibetian president Lobsang Sangay in an interview with WION.
President of the Tibetan government-in-exile speaks of China’s “five-finger” plan
Speaking to WION on Chinese combativeness, Sangay said that the Chinese leadership had stated that Beijing was looking to accomplish its ‘Five Finger’ plan, where Tibet was the palm, while Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, the five fingers.
Sangay was quoted in the article as saying: “After the occupation of Tibet, in the 60s, Chinese leaders said Tibet is the Palm, now they have to go for 5 fingers-Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh”.
Condemning the death of the Indian soldiers in Ladakh’s Galwan valley, Sangay said: “So in 2017, you have Doklam incident that borders Sikkim and Bhutan, and then now you have Ladakh. This is all part of the grand, long term expansionist strategy which they had and are implementing now.”
For the uninitiated, recently, as many as 20 Indian soldiers had lost their lives in a violent clash in Galwan Valley after the Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation in eastern Ladakh.
President of the Tibetan government-in-exile warned Nepal of meeting similar fate like Tibet
Providing a blueprint of how China’s expansionist policies are set into motion, Sangay talks about how Tibet was occupied by China. He says the Chinese first built a road from China to Tibet stating that it will bring prosperity to Tibetans and once the road was built, trucks, tanks and guns followed. Soon enough, Tibet was occupied. Sangay cautioned Nepal that similar fate awaits them as well if they do not distance from China.
“In the process, they have a very shrewd strategy, which is called elite co-optation–which is to buy off all the elites. Go after your political leaders, your business leaders, intellectuals, your journalist, and your Dharmic leaders. They buy of each of the sectors of the community which are elite at the top. So when the actual occupation happens, you realise that elite in the country is divided, one supporting china and one supporting own country”, said Sangay to WION.
The article mentioned that the Chinese Communist Party led by President Xi Jinping “is looking to bolster its expansionist policies in the Indian subcontinent region.
The article claims that the incursions into Ladakh and other regions by the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) proves beyond doubt that China is planning a bigger conspiracy.
China maliciously expanding its road network to encroach Nepal
As per reports, Nepal’s Survey department published a report where in it showed how China had encroached upon 10 of 11 places consisting of about 33 hectares of land. China has done so by diverting flow of rivers which acted as natural boundary between two countries. Chinese construction work in Humla district diverted Bagdare Khola river and Karnali river wherein China took over 10 hectares of land. Similarly, China took over about 6 hectares of land in Rasuwa district after ‘construction work’ in Tibet diverted Sinjen, Bhurjuk and Jambu Khola. 11 hectares of Nepali land was claimed by China for ‘falling in Tibet’ after Kharane Khola and Bhote Kosi in Sindhupalchowk district were diverted.
However, the feud between India and Nepal which has been brewing since May after the latter released a controversial new political map, which shows the disputed territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani within its borders, has forced Nepal to turn a blind eye to Chinese encroachment.
