With the linking of optical fiber across the border between China Telecom Global (CTG) and Nepal Telecom, international bandwidth has recently entered Nepal through China, ending Nepal's sole dependency on India for land-based internet. China has provided the shortest possible route for optical fiber service in Nepal, which paves the way for connectivity of China and Nepal to Europe, the Middle East, Northeast Asia and to North America.

While inaugurating the cross-border fiber link in Kathmandu in the presence of Chinese Ambassador Yu Hong, Nepal's Minister of Information and Communications Mohan Bahadur Basnet defined it as a milestone for internet infrastructure development in Nepal, noting, "This helps enhance people-to-people communications between China and Nepal."

Managing Director of state-owned Nepal Telecom Kamini Rajbhandari predicts that with Chinese internet, Nepalis will get cheaper and more reliable internet services. In fact, Nepal's new service via China is about half the distance and double the speed (73 millisecond latency) in comparison to the existing India connection (128 millisecond latency).

Though initiated in 2003, the project was finalized largely in response to the Indian economic embargo on Nepal in 2015. Stifled by the Indian monopoly on the petroleum supply and hamstrung by the blockade, Nepalis sought out an alternative for internet bandwidth as well.  

Chineseinternet has brought a wave of hope in Nepal and made waves in India at the same time, as Nepal's trade dependency on India has been a matter of pride for New Delhi and grievance for Kathmandu. Responses to the news of "Chinese internet in Nepal" followed accordingly.

Newly elected Member of Parliament and Communist Party of Nepal (UML) leader Rabindra Adhikari's response on Twitter exalted the end of an era of Indian monopoly. He tweeted, "Our effort to connect Nepal-China cross border optical fiber link during my tenure in 'Parliamentary Committee for Development' has come to a success. It is time for quality and cheaper Internet. Monopoly has ended."

Former correspondent to the BBC Nepali service in Kathmandu, Sushil Sharma, tweeted in a similar vein, depicting the event as a positive result of the Indian blockade: "THE BLOCKADE-LED OPENING, Chinese Internet is connected to Nepal through the border at Rasuwagadhi. The plan was made in the aftermath of Indian blockade following the promulgation of Nepal's new constitution."

Meanwhile, Nepal's renowned cardiac surgeon Ramesh Koirala mocked the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet, responding to the Indian media outcry by prodding, "According to Indian media reports, P.M. Modi is in shock just by 1 Gbps of Chinese internet. He may go into mourning if the Kerung border opened; what if rail came to Nepal, Indian flag at half-mast?"

However, some online news outlets in Nepal exploited the panic created in the Indian media by making sensational headlines. In India and beyond, the news of "Chinese internet in Nepal" has sparked interest all around the globe. The Washington Post covered the news citing the Associated Press (AP), whereas Russian Sputnik News presented it as part of "a cut-throat competition" between two Asian giants for trade in South Asia, and following the bleak views of Indian analysts. Responding to Sputnik News, Dr. Smruti Pattanaik, a research fellow at the New Delhi-based Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA) said, "India needs to be ready for strong competition from China in the South Asian countries in trade and commerce."

The Chinese media has presented the optical fiber expansion to Nepal as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In an interview with state broadcaster China Global Television Network (CGTN), Deng Xiaofeng, general manager of China Telecom Global (CTG), said, "We want to build a grand corridor and a big platform for telecommunication. I'd call this an 'information-centered high-speed link' along the Belt and Road routes."

By contrast the southern side has seen it as a further weakening of the Indian hold in Nepal. Talking to Indian Express, S.D. Muni, professor emeritus at Jawaharlal Nehru University and former ambassador to Laos, depicted it as a loss of Indian presence in Nepal. "It is an erosion. There's no doubt about it. And it has increased in the past few years since Prime Minister Modi has taken over. The Chinese are far more assertive than earlier, and far more liberal in their resource disbursement. Also, we have badly alienated Nepalis of different sections, so I think it will continue unless we take some very serious measures to halt it," he said.

Indeed, India has lagged in comparison to China in terms of resources, friendliness and result-oriented assertiveness, and the attitude and trust of the Nepali people towards the two neighboring giants reflects this difference. Chinese internet in Nepal provides hope for the landlocked country, as the BRI offers an alternative to boost aspirations of economic sovereignty. It is anticipated that the upcoming communist party in Nepal will likely facilitate concrete projects under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Nepal and China have already agreed to build a cross-border railway, with the proposed border point at Rasuwagadhi, the location that served as the optical fiber connection point as well. In light of the permission Nepal has now to use Chinese ports [JF1] to trade goods with third countries, Nepalis feel the new internet link has widened their prospects in the modern digital world by a huge margin.

Saroj Gautam writes on International Relations and Diplomacy from Kathmandu.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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