New Delhi: Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat warned Nepal to be cautious on ties with China. General Rawat said that Nepal is free to act independently in international affairs but must be vigilant and learn from Sri Lanka and other nations which have also signed agreements with other countries in the region.
General Rawat was speaking at the
the second annual dialogue with the Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE) on the relationship between the two countries. During this time, he advised Nepal to learn from Sri Lanka. General Rawat’s statement comes as China is trying to expand its reach into the Himalayan nation with several projects.
Bipin Rawat also compared the strong relationship between Nepal and India with the height of the Himalayas and the depth of the Indian Ocean. He said that India’s goodwill comes with no strings attached.
Sri Lanka handed over its Hambantota port to China for 99 years. The Chinese company owns 85 percent of this port. It is believed that China could use this port for military purposes as well. Apart from this, in the name of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China implicated Sri Lanka in its trap by giving a lot of debt.