Beijing has been increasing its investment in trade, tourism and reconstruction since Nepal's devastating 2015 earthquake.
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00:00In Nepal, China's influence has been increasing in the country in different sectors, especially
00:16in education.
00:18Almost 100 private schools are teaching Mandarin, like this one in the capital Kathmandu.
00:24How much are these three rupees?
00:26700 rupees.
00:28700 rupees, right.
00:30Neeraj Maharjan was offered a scholarship to study in China for five years before returning
00:36home to teach.
00:37He believes that because of the growing close ties between China and Nepal, it has become
00:42crucial to learn Mandarin.
00:44We're landlocked, situated between India and China.
00:51Learning Chinese allows us to boost our economy through tourism and trade.
00:57Mandarin enables my students to join Chinese companies that have established themselves
01:02in Nepal.
01:04Sunita Shrestha has been studying Chinese for the last six months in order to communicate
01:11better with her customers.
01:14Ninety-nine percent of my business is with Chinese people.
01:18I work in a company that makes sculptures, and most of them are for temples in China.
01:23So it's important to learn Chinese to do business.
01:29In addition to investments, the tourism industry of Nepal is also booming, as Nepal's religious
01:35heritage attracts Buddhist tourists from China.
01:39The town of Lumbini, near Nepal's southern border with India, is one of the most holy
01:43sites in Buddhism.
01:45These Chinese tourists have come to visit the place where the Buddha is said to have
01:49been born.
01:50I saw that it was one of the four main Buddhist sites, so I wanted to come and see.
01:55Also the country's free visa policy made it even more appealing.
01:58My trip has been wonderful, and I feel a strong connection with the people.
02:04I plan to stay in Nepal for a month.
02:06I'm very happy to be here.
02:08These people are very friendly and always smiling.
02:11They're very nice.
02:15They have travelled for more than 15 hours in order to get here.
02:22From China I flew to Kathmandu, then drove to Pokhara, and then took a bus to come to
02:29Lumbini.
02:35The airport in Lumbini, which was built by a Chinese company, opened in May 2022.
02:40The brand new terminal cost 76 million euros, yet the baggage carousels are barely used
02:47and the display boards show no destinations.
02:50Neighbouring India has banned flights from China over its airspace, severely limiting
02:55the number of planes reaching Lumbini.
02:57You can see the screens where we can display the name of the airlines.
03:05Airport spokesman Deepak Kumar Bajiracharya hopes that common ground will soon be found
03:09to allow more tourists.
03:12Definitely if we can have a direct route here, it will be beneficial for the airlines by
03:19reducing their costs on fuel.
03:22I hope someday that will be summarised.
03:25If many tourists come here, the benefit will definitely be for the local people here, because
03:30they have their business of hotels.
03:33So if they can provide the services to the tourists, definitely their economy will be
03:38in a gear-up position.
03:40Caught between the two Asian giants, Nepal reflects the tensions between India and China.
03:46Political analyst Yubaraj Ghimri says Nepal's geographical position prevents it from choosing
03:51sides.
03:52India's over-involvement in Nepal's internal politics created a situation for China's entry
03:59here.
04:00In 1919 when President Xi came, he said they were interested to invest in four key areas.
04:08They were energy sector, tourism and hospitality, they were trade and investment.
04:17Nepal's stated position always was balancing relations.
04:23China's influence can even be felt by foreigners in Nepal.
04:26For decades, Tibetans in exile have been celebrating the festival of Losar, the Tibetan
04:31New Year.
04:32But now the few reprisals from Beijing, as Tibet demands independence from China.
04:37Away from the crowds, Shouan is the only one who agrees to give us an interview.
04:43He has put on a face mask to hide his identity.
04:49It's difficult here in Nepal.
04:51They won't let us celebrate the anniversary of the Dalai Lama's birth.
04:57They send police to arrest us if we organize any kind of gathering.
05:02They can even put us in jail for a day.
05:05Nepal is not afraid of us, but it can be afraid of China.
05:09China dictates and Nepal just follows.
05:13The Chinese can't come here and arrest us directly, so the Nepalese government does
05:17it for them.
05:20In its new Silk Road initiative, China is strengthening its control over the Himalayan
05:25nation.
05:26The Asian giant has recently invested 230 million euros in Nepal's hydroelectric projects.