The recent media reports that China has built buildings in Nepal's northern territory have been found to be baseless after the Nepali and Chinese authorities rejected the reports outright. As per the Nepali authority, the Chinese-constructed buildings are well within a kilometre of the Chinese side from the Nepal-China border. This claim from both the countries has, for the moment, laid to rest the issue of border encroachment. The alleged border encroachment by China surfaced after a few Nepali media went on reporting that our northern neighbour had constructed buildings in the Nepali territory in the Limi Valley of Humla district.
The media reports have unfortunately no elements of truth in them, as they have appeared to have raised based on conjectures only. Media in the capital had written reports on the border encroachment after the Chinese side erected buildings in its territory, which the media mistook as the construction within Nepal’s land. Nepali authorities, following the site inspection, claimed the new construction was merely an expansion of existing buildings in the Chinese territory. Miffed over the baseless media reports, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, the other day, took the media to task, stating the media reports published in the past few days lacked government version and were published without taking comments from any concerned ministry or department. Following the reports of border encroachment within Nepali territory between Nepal-China boundary pillars number 11 and 12, the Department of Survey, after scrutinising official records and reports of the joint field inspection team, has verified and confirmed the buildings are not in the Nepali territory. A probe team led by Chief District Officer of Humla also inspected the territory and concluded that the Chinese side has not encroached upon the Nepali territory.
Limi Valley border encroachment issue surfaced in 2016; and during then too, an inter-ministerial probe team concluded there was no encroachment of the Nepali territory. We can note the two close neighbours have demarcated the border on the basis of Boundary Treaty and Boundary Protocols, which require both sides to maintain the sanctity of international border delineated through treaties and agreement. No nation can renege on the agreed treaties, protocol, principle and international norms on international borders. As both neighbours respect these protocols, no border dispute has existed between them. Cordiality, cooperation and deep understating are the hallmarks of Nepal-China relationship that has grown stronger in recent times. China has been saying that it respects Nepal's territorial integrity and sovereignty and has exhibited its generosity by extending assistance to Nepal in the time of needs. Nepal has too been reciprocating the Chinese generosity by sticking to the One-China Policy.
Looking at the strong ties between the two nations, it appears very unrealistic that one side would violate international border protocols. When some issues of minor oversight by either side takes place, both nations are capable to settle them through close diplomatic communication. The concerned quarters, especially our media, therefore, needs to be excessively wary while raising highly sensitive issues of border encroachment based mainly on their conjectures and not on evidences. Since both Nepal and China have said the Chinese side has not crossed over to our territory, the issue should be laid to rest and no one should raise hell over it unnecessarily.