25 October 2005
China gives aid to Nepalese army
(THT Online) China has agreed to provide military aid worth eight million yuan (UK£556,000; US$990,000; EU€819,000) to the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA). The aid was given during an official visit to China of the Nepalese chief of the army staff, General Pyar Jung Thapa. General Thapa said that the Chinese authorities expressed their confidence in Nepal in resolving its internal conflict without outside help. He added, “China wants stability, development and peace in Nepal. It has realised the importance of RNA's development in combating internal and international terrorism, so has agreed to cooperate with us”. The visit by the Nepalese delegation comes at a time when the EU fears a political collapse in Nepal. Arms sales to Nepal by India, the United States and the EU have been frozen since the King’s takeover in February 2005 and Nepal is seeking alternate sources of arms and ammunition to fight the nine-year-old Maoist insurgency. The Nepalese authorities' recent attempts to curtail religious and cultural activities of exile Tibetans living there and harsh new restrictions on refugees fleeing Tibet for Nepal are widely thought to be a direct result of China's increased leverage in Kathmandu.