Kathmandu, May 16 (IANS) Nepal and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on May 12, 2017. Nine years later, no new project has been implemented in Nepal under the BRI, although Beijing has unilaterally categorised the China-assisted Pokhara International Airport in western Nepal as a landmark achievement under the initiative. Nepal, however, has not recognised the airport as a BRI project because negotiations with China to build …
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Washington, Feb 12 (IANS) Underscoring the strategic importance of the US naval support facility at Diego Garcia, lawmakers and a senior State Department official have said that safeguarding Indian Ocean sea lanes is central to countering China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. During a House subcommittee hearing on South and Central Asia, Congressman Bill Huizenga said: “The Indian Ocean is one of the busiest maritime corridors on the earth, carrying the lifeblood of global commerce …
New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) Whether or not Chinese infrastructure loans are a deliberate “debt-trap” strategy, the resultant high debt levels of recipient countries and opaque loan terms compromise their sovereignty, a report has said.A report from Modern Diplomacy said that “the loans pose significant challenges for host countries seeking to achieve development without compromising their sovereignty.”However, the report maintained that if the Chinese infrastructure loans constitute a deliberate “…