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In 2018, a visit by then China’s Ambassador Yu Hong to Janakpur, the capital of Madhes Province, raised eyebrows. Usually, ambassadors travel for events or for a holiday, but this visit felt different. Unlike typical ambassadorial trips, Yu’s focused on distributing disaster relief under China Aid. This sparked curiosity about China’s growing interest in Nepal’s Tarai region, which traditionally has closer ties with India due to open borders and constant movement of people and goods. Hong’s visit to Janakpur was a sign that China was changing its approach.

More recently in May, current Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song visited Madhes again.  He attended the launch of a new program in Barahathawa Municipality called ‘Support for schools and communities in remote areas for Pandemic Prevention and Green Recovery’.  This China Aid initiative, partnered with the UNDP, will benefit 15,000 students and 7,500 families in Sarlahi and Rautahat districts.

China has initiated support to schools and communities in Madhes Province of Nepal, which is quite rare. This move was hugely welcomed by the local communities, which was witnessed in the way the Chinese team was greeted in the area. During his visit, Ambassador Song also announced two major projects of clean drinking water and solar light in the villages starting right from Madhes Province. 

From the provincial government representatives to local government heads, there was a unified voice that China’s support could be instrumental. Provincial Minister for Physical Infrastructures and Development Saroj Kumar Yadav thanked China for selecting Madhes Province and establishing new model projects, while Barahathawa Mayor Kalpana Kumari Katuwal said that the support could bring positive changes in the lives of the general public. 

The ambassador and his team received similar welcoming gestures from the school and community representatives. Some even suggested opening Chinese language centers or establishing sister-city relations among Tarai towns and Chinese cities.

This wasn’t China’s first project in Madhes though. In 2018, China Aid supported 31,800 flood-affected families in seven Tarai districts, including Sarlahi, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Rautahat, and Parsa, through the Post-Flood Recovery Program. Similarly, a Chinese NGO helped establish over 100 wash stations and isolation centers during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Though the Tarai has no language or cultural symmetry with China as it has with India, it is noteworthy that many students from the region have been studying in Chinese universities under various scholarship programs. These scholarship programs, along with development and disaster relief programs, highlight China's growing interest in the region.

Asked whether there is a gap between China and Madhes, Ambassador Song denied there was one. He said China is willing to support Madhes just like any other provinces of Nepal. According to him, China sees potential in agriculture and industry, offering support in health and education. 

“I think Madhes Province is very promising in these two areas. It needs more help, development and cooperation. That’s my impression,” he said.

His visit to schools suggests a shift towards public diplomacy, building connections with the people of Tarai. 

There are already signs of Chinese economic interest in the region too. Chinese companies have set up small-scale industries in Bara. The Chinese ambassador and his team visited a construction site under the Package 5 of the Kathmandu-Tarai/Madhes Fast Track, which is assigned to CMCE/SDLQ JV, China, and thanked the contractors for the substantial progress. 

These latest developments, along with Song’s positive remarks on Madhes’ potential, indicate a more active Chinese role in the future.

It is clear that China is no longer content with its traditional approach to diplomacy, that it is gradually coming out from the G2G diplomatic engagements and trying to put people-to-people relationship at the center of its diplomacy. 

While Nepal strives to maintain neutrality in its relations with India and China, Madhes Province can benefit from development assistance offered by both neighbors. China’s cautious and pragmatic approach seems to be winning hearts, and the future holds promise for deeper cooperation between China and Madhes.

The author is a freelance journalist

On a chilly November afternoon, some 3,700 meters above the sea level, Prasana Pariyar was sitting in an open field, imagining a snow leopard appearing on a cliff of rugged Himalayan terrain in Mustang district.

As the eighth grader from Dhaulagiri Boarding School focused her mind trying to conjure up the form of a snow leopard in her head, four other girls were recalling the stories that their parents and grandparents had told them about how snow leopards used to enter their villages and attack livestock.

“I have heard many stories about snow leopards. I also studied about snow leopards as part of conservation education at school. Now, I am trying to craft a story from everything I know,” said Pariyar.

Meanwhile, some of the students were being instructed by artist Rajman Maharjan to paint a snow leopard. Kristina Thakali, who goes to Janahit Secondary School, was one of them. 

“There were two options, story writing or drawing, and I chose drawing. I am excited to draw the queen of mountains,” said Thakali. Through her art, she was trying to reflect the significance of conserving the snow leopard and its ecosystem.

Under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the snow leopard is listed as ‘Vulnerable.’ It is estimated that there are 300-500 snow leopards in Nepal’s high mountains. Nepal has the fourth largest population of these elusive cats after China, Mongolia and India.

Pariyar and Thakali were joined by 10 students from six government schools of Mustang, who spent two days in the field together as part of the Snow Leopard Scout’s Monitoring Camp under the theme “Love the Snow Leopard, Protect the Balance of Nature”. They were accompanied by their teachers.

The scout camp was organized by Teka Samuha Nepal with the technical and financial assistance from Snow Leopard Conservancy. According to Anil Adhikari, founder and executive director of the organization, the field trip was organized to spread awareness among children about the importance of snow leopard conservation.

“The camp serves as a practical session to the students to observe and understand the prey and habitat of the snow leopard. These students had enrolled in the Snow-Leopard-based Conservation Education Book 1 & 2, implemented in Mustang and Taplejung districts,” said Adhikari. 

Since there has been no recent study on population status of snow leopards in Mustang, Adhikari underscored the need of conducting surveys on snow leopards and their prey species.

Teka has been working closely with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, National Trust for Nature Conservation and Annapurna Conservation Area Project to execute these camps. So far, five residential camps comprising students, teachers, scientists, rangers and experts have been carried out in Mustang.

A similar camp was conducted in Taplejung district to enrich students’ understanding of snow leopards, their prey, habitat, conversation, and their correlation with local inhabitants.

In Mustang’s Muktinath area, the students not just presented their stories and drawings, but also learnt about camping and camera-trapping technology for snow leopards. They hiked up to nearly 4,000 meters above the sea level, towards the base of Thorong La Pass, and spent hours learning GPS monitoring and methods of camera-trapping.

“This unique approach of training students about the protected species and the use of technology is really exciting and valuable,” said one of the participating teachers. 

The students were provided practical lessons by the citizen scientist Ramesh BK, a local of Mustang, who has been working in the scout camps since 2012.

“The locals are well aware of the habitat, movement and activities of the snow leopard, including scrape and pug marks. The local and indigenous knowledge is important for conservation,” he said.

BK has a personal experience of capturing snow leopards with the use of camera traps. He had captured at least four snow leopards at Namu hill in Mustang, which he regards as a great achievement of his career. He wants to pursue similar monitoring activities in his locality but lacks funding and technical support. 

“I would even volunteer for camera trapping, provided the availability of cameras and other gear, but I feel there is lack of seriousness from the government side,” he said.

As per reports, though Nepal has a good number of snow leopards, there is a lack of monitoring programs and genetic tools to estimate the real number and the threat status. 

In the second week of November, snow leopards had killed over 80 mountain goats in a single shed in Mustang, causing a loss worth over Rs 3m. Such attacks have become more frequent in recent years.

Rinzin Namgyal Gurung, chairman of the Varagung Muktichhetra Rural Municipality, said there is a need for minimizing human-wildlife conflict and attacks on livestock through awareness campaigns and developing local capacity. 

“Snow leopards attacking the local livestock has become common, but there are problems when it comes to compensating the livestock owners. It’s a bitter fact that the mountain region doesn’t get much attention in terms of compensation scheme as compared to the Tarai region. We are trying to raise the issue with the authorities,” said Gurung.

Beijing is dry in winter, the temperature is down, the wind is freezing, and trees are leafless.  But it doesn’t stop one from exploring the sites and witnessing the beauty of the world-renowned historic city. Beijing is not just the Chinese capital city, but a center for global attraction, be it for politics and diplomacy or economics and business.  This March, I got an opportunity to visit a few cultural and religious sites in Beijing which reflected a deep connection with Nepal. Through the magnificent architecture, deep rooted arts, and centuries-old structures, we can find many similarities and greatness of our cultural and spiritual ties. These heritage sites have been a direct source for Chinese people to learn and understand more about Nepal. Despite the cold temperature, this strong cultural presence, and bonding warms anyone’s heart.  The White Dagoba Temple The White Dagoba, or the Miaoying Temple can also be known as Araniko Temple as it was built by the Nepali architect Araniko. It was built during the Yuan Dynasty in 1271 during Kublai Khan’s rule. A full body statue of Araniko has graced the temple premise. The temple also features a China-Nepal Cultural Exchange Exhibition Hall, where Nepal’s historical, natural, and cultural richness and beauty is reflected through photos, paintings, and audio-visual materials. Dazhongsi Ancient Bell Museum Dazhong Si (Big Bell Temple) has a collection of fascinating bells and chimes from the ancient period. The halls have many models and replicas of bells, in different shapes and sizes, depicting rich history. The most iconic one is the Nepali bell ‘Ghanti’ made up of brass and tied with the wooden structure. Out of bells from many countries on display, this Nepali gift to the Chinese people stands unique and echoes the magical sound of Sino-Nepal friendship.  The Lama Temple The Yonghe Gong in Beijing is popularly known as Lama Temple, which is a center of Tibetan Buddhism. It consists of the largest sandalwood Buddha in the world. The giant precious white log with Buddha’s image carving was taken from Nepal, which is also recorded in the Guinness World Records. It is said that the sandalwood was gifted in the 1750s, which has remained as a monument of historical ties between the two countries.