Explainer: Why people in Nepal too are protesting against new China ‘standard map’?

People in Nepal too have voiced their protest against the new China 'standard map' released earlier this week. The new map released by Beijing retains the old Nepal map and does not reflect the new political map of the Himalayan nation that was released by the then KP Oli government in 2020, writes ETV Bharat’s Aroonim Bhuyan.

New Delhi:People in Nepal too have come out in protest against the new China 'standard map' released earlier this week. While Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah cancelled a scheduled five-day visit to China, the Nepal Student Union staged a protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu, Nepalese media reported.

Beijing released a new 'standard map' on August 28 in which the Indian territories of Arunachal Pradesh and Akshai Chin were shown as as parts of China’s territory. While this is nothing new, New Delhi has nevertheless lodged an official protest with China.

"We have today lodged a strong protest through diplomatic channels with the Chinese side on the so called 2023 'standard map' of China that lays claim to India’s territory,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a statement. “We reject these claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicates the resolution of the boundary question."

However, what is new this time is the inclusion of the Nine-Dash Line in the South China Sea as part of Chinese territory. China is involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea with a number of Southeast Asian nations. Following the release of the new map, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have all officially voiced their protest. But, why are people in Nepal too protesting against the new China 'standard map'?

The issue goes back to 2020 when the then KP Oli government released a new political map of the Himalayan nation. After India unilaterally released a new political map in November 2019 by incorporating Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura areas, which are claimed by Nepal, and refused to entertain Nepal’s concerns over the map, the Oli government, in a tit-for-tat move, unveiled the new map of Nepal in May 2020 by incorporating the three areas. This also added a pointed spur on the northwest corner of the Nepal map. The map was officially endorsed by the country’s parliament.

“If you see the new political map of Nepal, there is a finger protruding to the northeast corner of the country,” a source in Kathmandu explained to ETV Bharat. “China has ignored this area in its new map and has retained the old map of Nepal.”

Though Nepal has not officially lodged its protest yet with China, Kathmandu Mayor Shah announced in a social media post that he is cancelling his scheduled five-day trip to China in protest. “I consider China’s step to show Nepali territory as that of India as wrong,” said Shah on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. “So, I have decided not to embark on a five-day visit at China’s invitation on moral grounds.”

The Nepal Student Union, the student wing of the ruling Nepali Congress, also staged a protest outside the Embassy of China in Kathmandu on Thursday accusing the northern neighbour of failing to recognise Nepal’s actual territories in its new map. Student leaders carrying placards chanted slogans demanding the northern neighbour correct its map, The Kathmandu Post reported. They also submitted a memorandum to the embassy with their demand.

Meanwhile, a senior Nepal foreign ministry official said they are closely following the unfolding situation on the map row, but they would not rush to make the government stance public.

“The map row has surfaced right ahead of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s scheduled China visit, so we are not in a position to escalate the matter, but we will definitely follow up on it after ascertaining whether the then Oli government had communicated with China before releasing the new map,” The Kathmandu Post quoted the official as saying.

Nepal’s Minister for Information and Communication Rekha Sharma, who is also the government spokesperson, said the government would make its position public after discussing the map with the Chinese government. “We will employ diplomacy to resolve the matter. Our official map has a pointed spur and it was endorsed unanimously by Parliament. We will ask them why they refrained from using our new map,” Sharma was quoted as saying.

When asked about the issue, Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs Joint-secretary Sewa Lamsal said that “we are aware of the situation”. “But it is a highly sensitive issue,” the Himalayan Times quoted her as saying. “Therefore, we are studying the matter to take our stance. The ministry is aware of the map dispute. We are studying the matter to reply to the related stakeholders. The issue is of national concern. Hence, we are trying to understand our position. But for the time being, we do not have much to say on this matter."

Lamsal added that during Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal’s visit to China scheduled to take place soon, the map issue will probably be “one of the major topics of discussion”.

Why the matter has become a cause of concern for Kathmandu is that neither its southern neighbour nor its northern neighbour has endorsed the new political map of Nepal.