By Nirmal P. Acharya
Not long ago, the vision of a Central Asian community was finally achieved. As a matter of fact, the vision of a trans-Himalayan community has been brewing for a long time.
A railway that runs through the roof of the world, connecting East Asia and South Asia, will contribute tremendous energy to the building of the Himalayan community.
Then, came the MCC. Observers have noted that the MCC’s planned transmission lines overlap highly with the planned China-Nepal railway. The MCC’s intention to block the China-Nepal railway is obvious to all adults.
After MCC landed in Nepal, the difficulty of constructing the China-Nepal railway undoubtedly increased. The China-Nepal railway is likely to have to be rerouted to avoid the MCC’s transmission lines, which will drive up construction costs and lengthen construction times.
In the great game of the century between China and the US, MCC vs. China-Nepal Railway is an important game. At present, in this group of political elites in our country, many people hold an opportunistic wait-and-see attitude. If the US wins, they will go for the MCC, if China wins, they will go for the China-Nepal railway.
But should our political elite also weigh up whether the MCC or the China-Nepal Railway will bring Nepal a better future?
Can a so-called cooperation project that explicitly prohibits the Nepalese government from participating in management, and conducting audits, is not subject to Nepali law, and is coerced into accepting it by means of ultimatums, create a better future for Nepal? This makes no logical sense and is not believable.
The China-Nepal railway, jointly built and shared by China and Nepal, will transform Nepal from a land-locked country to a land-linked country, laying the most important cornerstone for building a trans-Himalayan community. This great project will provide the possibility to solve all the problems of Nepal’s prosperity.
To put it bluntly, we will have to choose sides between the MCC and the China-Nepal Railway. Because this is about whether we want a volatile, conflict-divided Himalaya or a peaceful, stable and prosperous Himalayan community.
Login to add a comment