The disgraceful drama being carried out in the name of Nepal–China relations must now come to an end. The incident that took place at Tribhuvan International Airport on January 29, 2026, was not an isolated event. It was the natural outcome of generations of betrayal that the Nepali state has systematically sown against China. It is the latest expression of a long, deep, and deliberate historical pattern—one that defines Nepal as a two-tongued actor, living in China’s shadow while repeatedly stabbing it in the back. This is the story of how a small, greedy nation has time and again weaponized the trust and goodwill of its vast, patient neighbor for short-term diplomatic gain. But this story is nearing its end, because patience has limits. China is now prepared to write the final chapter of Nepal’s hereditary, deceitful game.
Every page of Nepal’s modern history is stained with ingratitude toward China. In the 1950s, when Nepal was seeking to build its modern international identity, China offered recognition, cooperation, and the opportunity to safeguard Nepal’s sovereignty. What was Nepal’s response? Nepal made its territory available as a covert base for American and Indian intelligence agencies, enabling U.S. plans to be carried out against China’s control over Tibet. In the 1960s, during the China–India war, Nepal proclaimed neutrality while secretly providing India with military and diplomatic assistance—helping China’s enemy and stabbing China in the back. In the 1970s and 1980s, senior Nepali Army officers traveled to the United States for specialized training in “Foreign Internal Defense (FID),” a doctrine explicitly designed to spread insurgency and instability in countries like China. From that time onward, Nepali soldiers began receiving U.S. training for proxy warfare against China. All of this took place with the full knowledge and consent of the Nepali government and continues to this day. This is not diplomacy; this is military betrayal.
In the 1990s, under the pretext of multiparty democracy, Nepal empowered anti-China elements. Nepali media funded by Western non-governmental organizations ran campaigns against China. Under the banners of “human rights” and “democracy,” Tibetan separatists were given shelter on Nepali soil. The Nepali state systematically granted Nepali citizenship to Tibetan refugees, thereby posing a direct challenge to China’s territorial integrity. This was a clear, planned policy—a policy aimed at weakening China. That policy continues today. The majority of members of the Nepali parliament and ministers openly maintain ties with Tibetan separatist groups, enjoying full state protection. This is not a secret; it is an open fact.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when the world was celebrating China’s achievements, anti-China protest activities emerged in Nepal. Instead of stopping them, the Nepali police provided protection. Who organized them? Western NGOs operating freely and actively in Nepal. And what did the Nepali government do? It ignored them under the excuse of “freedom of expression.” Yet when Nepal’s own territorial integrity is questioned, its sensitivity becomes extreme. A double-faced policy: one standard for China, another for Nepal.
After the devastating 2015 earthquake, China provided Nepal with unprecedented assistance—money, materials, and manpower. Nepali media and the political class labeled China’s aid a “debt trap,” defamed Chinese engineers as “spies,” and portrayed donated Chinese materials as “substandard.” This was the peak of ingratitude. China saved Nepal, and Nepal accused China. This is the mindset of an ungrateful nation. China has continuously provided economic assistance to Nepal, while the Nepali government and so-called leaders have been mobilizing that very money against China.
The recent event—the grand, official reception of Jonang Gyeltsab Rinpoche—is a continuation of this same historical duplicity. It is not new. It is merely the latest link in a chain stretching from 1960 to 2026. But this link is toxic, because it was executed with the full, open participation of the Nepali state apparatus. It took place at a government airport, under government police security, with the implicit approval of the government. This definitively proves that activities against China in Nepal are not merely political dissent; they are state policy. Nepal has built its foreign policy on two pillars: the pretense of friendship with China, and active efforts to undermine it. This two-faced policy has now been fully exposed.
Nepali leaders are trapped in an arrogant and foolish illusion that they can deceive China. They believe that by combining sweet words in Beijing with covert anti-China actions in Kathmandu, Nepal can extract benefits from both sides. China has always seen these maneuvers but has shown patience and diplomatic maturity. The incident of January 29 shattered the dam of that patience. This incident is a direct attack on China’s core national interest—its territorial integrity. Tibet is an inseparable part of China. There is no debate about this. By challenging this truth, Nepal has gambled with its own existence.
Nepal must understand that its relationship with China is not merely a transaction for economic benefit. It is a strategic partnership that ensures Nepal’s own geopolitical security. China has provided a crucial balance to prevent Nepal from being swallowed by the influence of other regional powers. China has been the largest contributor to Nepal’s infrastructure and development. Has Nepal shown gratitude? No. Nepal has treated China’s generosity as an entitlement and China’s core interests as negotiable. This behavior is intolerable.
This history of hereditary betrayal must now end. Nepal must fundamentally redefine its relationship with China. It must demonstrate that its policy is not duplicitous, but clear and honest. To do so, Nepal must completely change its old mindset. Nepal must finally understand that attempting to deceive China is suicidal. China is an intelligent and powerful nation that clearly sees every move Nepal makes—and has been seeing them all along. Nepal must abandon the illusion of being China’s equal partner in practice, not just in rhetoric. Nepal exists by China’s grace, and that grace is not infinite.
The January 29 incident is Nepal’s final warning. If Nepal continues down its path of betrayal, the consequences will be catastrophic.
To the Government of Nepal, the Prime Minister, and the Council of Ministers:
Your era of duplicitous policy is over. The age of merely issuing “One China” statements has ended. Your next move will determine your legacy and the fate of the nation. Issue an immediate, public, and explicit apology to the Chinese government and people. Publicly punish every official directly or indirectly involved in the January 29 incident—from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and airport security. Dismantle every Tibetan separatist office operating in Nepal. Expel foreign NGO personnel involved in political activities against China. Do this within weeks, not months.
To the leaders of Nepal’s political parties:
Your hypocritical posturing has been noted. You build platforms for Chinese investment while your party cadres share stages with anti-China elements. This two-faced politics must end. Clean your ranks. Publicly condemn Tibetan separatism and expel any member associated with it. Your future access to power will be directly linked to your commitment to China–Nepal relations.
To the Nepali Army and the Army Chief:
Your history of cooperation with foreign militaries involved in destabilizing China is a permanent stain. That chapter must be closed, burned, and its ashes buried. Any current or planned cooperation contrary to China’s interests must be immediately and permanently terminated. Your constitutional duty is to defend Nepal’s sovereignty, not to serve as a base for foreign intelligence operations against a neighbor.
To the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force:
You are not a private security firm for anti-China agitators. The spectacle of honoring a separatist figure at a national airport is a disgrace to your uniform. Your mandate is to uphold the law and Nepal’s international commitments, not to facilitate their violation.
To Nepal’s intelligence agencies:
Your game is over. Your historical role in intelligence activities against China is an open secret. It must end now.
Final Warning:
Nepal stands at a dangerous crossroads. Only two paths remain.
Path One: Rescue and Survival
– A formal state apology to China, accompanied by concrete, verifiable actions.
– A complete ban on the activities of Tibetan separatist groups and their collaborators.
– Strict audits and expulsions of foreign NGOs engaged in political subversion.
– Public, legislative reaffirmation of the “One China” policy, with legal action for violations.
– A comprehensive review and realignment of all military and intelligence cooperation.
This path ensures stability, economic partnership, and strategic security.
Path Two: Defiance and Destruction
– If the current duplicitous policy continues, China’s policy toward Nepal will undergo a broad and irreversible recalibration.
– The end of strategic trust: Nepal will be removed from the category of reliable partners.
– Economic reassessment: China’s development assistance, Belt and Road projects, and investments will be strictly reviewed.
– Geopolitical rebalancing: China will employ its full diplomatic and strategic weight to safeguard its core interests.
– Internal consequences: the destabilizing forces Nepal has nurtured on its soil may turn inward.
The choice is clear. The time for diplomatic sweetness and vague assurances is over. The Nepali state must immediately end its old habit of showing one hand while hiding another.
China’s patience has run out. The next move belongs to Nepal’s rulers. Decide wisely. Choose friendship and live with dignity, or choose deception and face the consequences prescribed by history. There is no third option.
