Reading the map controversy

Once again, the map controversy has surfaced but this time around it’s not between Nepal and India but between China and Nepal. The fresh controversy followed as China issued what it calls its ‘standard map’, which does not include Nepal’s new official map. 

China’s new map has created uproar not only in its neighborhood but much beyond, with the list of countries objecting to the map increasing by the day. In the case of Nepal, the latest map controversy seems to have emerged partly from the way governments dealt with this sensitive issue in the past. 

The recent statement from Nepal’s Foreign Minister indicates that the new map was not officially submitted or communicated to countries including China. If that is the case, it shows double standards on the part of Nepali politicians, who have the habit of doing politics even on serious issues like foreign policy and national security.

The author is a geopolitical analyst