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Mount Everest

China is considering extending its railway network to Nepal by building a tunnel under Mount Everest. This would link China's existing railway to Lhasa, Tibet with Nepal. The proposed rail line is part of China's efforts to expand its economic and political influence in Nepal and South Asia through major infrastructure projects. However, some analysts in India, which rivals China for influence in the region, remain concerned about China's growing ties with neighboring countries like Nepal and Pakistan.

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175 views5 pages

Mount Everest

China is considering extending its railway network to Nepal by building a tunnel under Mount Everest. This would link China's existing railway to Lhasa, Tibet with Nepal. The proposed rail line is part of China's efforts to expand its economic and political influence in Nepal and South Asia through major infrastructure projects. However, some analysts in India, which rivals China for influence in the region, remain concerned about China's growing ties with neighboring countries like Nepal and Pakistan.

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ChinamaybuildrailtunnelunderMountEverest,statemediareports

Constructionprojectisbelievedtobeunderconsiderationandispartofproposed
extensiontolinkChinawithNepalbyrail

MountEverestatsunrise.Accordingtostatemedia,ChinaisintalkswithNepaltobuild
arailtunnelunderthemountain.Photograph:KristyDurbridge/Alamy

ChinaisconsideringextendingarailwaylinelinkingthecountrytoNepalviaatunnel
under
MountEverest
,accordingtoChinesestatemedia.
TheproposalisthelatestinaseriesofambitiousrailschemesBeijingisreportedly
examining.Itcomesamidscepticismaboutwhethersomeoftheprojectswilleverget
offthegroundandatatimeofagrowingChinesepresencein
Nepal
,whichhascaused
someconcerninrivalregionalpowerIndia.
TheQinghaiTibetrailwayalreadylinkstherestofChinawiththeTibetancapital,Lhasa,
andbeyond,andanextensionrunningasfarastheinternationalborderisalreadybeing

plannedatNepalsrequest,the
China
DailyquotedarailwayexpertattheChinese
AcademyofEngineeringassaying.
Theprojectisexpectedtobecompletedby2020,thenewspapercitedaTibetanofficial
assaying.ExtendingthelinewouldpotentiallyforgeacruciallinkbetweenChinaand
thehugemarketsofIndia.ItwasraisedbytheChineseforeignminister,WangYi,ona
visittoKathmanduinDecember,accordingtoNepalesereports.
ThelinewillprobablyhavetogothroughQomolangmasothatworkersmayhavetodig
someverylongtunnels,railwayexpertWangMengshutoldtheChinaDaily,referringto
MountEverestbyitsTibetanname.
OwingtothechallengingHimalayanterrain,withitsremarkablechangesinelevation,
trainsonanylinetoKathmanduwouldprobablyhaveamaximumspeedof75mph
(120km/h),headded.

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Kathmandu,Nepal.Photograph:Stoneography/GettyImages/FlickrRF

Lastyear,anotherstaterunnewspaper,theBeijingTimes,reportedthatChinawas
considering
buildingahighspeedrailwaylinetotheUS
thatwouldrunfor8,080miles,
about1,865milesfurtherthantheTransSiberianrailway.Itwouldalsoincludeabout
125milesofunderseatunnel,whichwouldbetheworldslongest,crossingtheBering
StraitbetweenRussiaandAlaska.
TheTimesalsolistedanotherthreeinternationalhighspeedrailprojectsthatarein
variousstagesofplanninganddevelopment.
OnewouldrunfromLondonviaParis,Berlin,Warsaw,KievandMoscow,whereit
wouldsplitintotworoutes,oneofwhichwouldruntoChinathroughKazakhstanand
theotherthrougheasternSiberia.AnotherwouldbegininthefarwesternChinesecity
ofUrumqiandthenrunthroughKazakhstan,Uzbekistan,Turkmenistan,Iranand
TurkeytoGermany,andthelastwouldbegininthesouthwestcityofKunmingandend
inSingapore.
ItwasuncleartowhatextentChinahadconsultedanyoftheothercountrieswhose
consentwouldberequired,althoughitwasannouncedinAugustthatThailandsmilitary
juntahad
approveda$23bn(13.6bn)transportproject
thatwouldseetwohighspeed
railwayslinkupdirectlywithKunming,viaLaos,by2021.Thelinewouldformpartofthe
plannedroutetoSingapore,whichwouldalsorunthroughMalaysia.
AmapofproposedChinesehighspeedraillinesinAsia.Itisuncleartowhatextent
Chinahasconsultedwithcountrieswhoseconsentwouldberequiredorifthelines
weretobebuilt.
ThegrowingChinesepresenceinNepalgoesbeyondroadsandrailways,withmassive
hydroelectricprojects,airportsandapilgrimagecentreatLumbini,thebirthplaceof
Buddha,allslatedtoreceivesubstantialfundingfromBeijing.
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ThenumberoftouristsfromChinaisalsorisingrapidly.Thoughoveralltouristarrivals
byairdeclinedin2014,
visitorsfromChina
grewbynearly20%tomorethan71,107.
Moreflightconnectionsarealsoplanned.
Chinesemadegoods
floodthemarkets
ofKathmanduandPokhara,thewestern
Nepalesecity,andnewlanguageschoolsteachingMandaringenerouslysubsidised
byBeijingareincreasinglypopular.
IndiananalystssayBeijingsinfluenceisaconcernbutoftenexaggerated.
TheChinesearegivingitahardtrybutthetieswithIndiaareverystrong,saidG
Parthasarathy,aretiredseniorIndiandiplomatandcommentator.Theresanatural
geographyandhistorytoourrelationship[withNepal].Yes,theycanbuildafewroads
buttheycantemployfivemillionNepalese.AndhowmanyNepalisaremigratingto
China?Thenthereareaffinitiesandculturetoo.
TherivalrybetweenthetwoAsianpowersisintense,however,withIndiascoringsome
successesrecentlyinpushingbackagainstBeijingseffortstoextendChineseinfluence
intoareassuchasSriLanka,traditionallyseenasDelhisbackyard.Achangeof
governmentinSriLankahasledtomegaprojectsfundedbyChineseloansandbuiltby
Chinesecompaniesbeingshelved.
ButIndianstrategistsaremostworriedaboutBejingslinkswithIndiaswestern
neighbour.
WearemuchmoreconcernedabouttheChineserelationshipwithPakistan,thanwith
Nepal,saidParthasarathy.
ChineseplanstoexpandtherailnetworkinTibethavecomeundercriticismfromrights
groupsincludingtheInternationalCampaignforTibet(ICT),whichhaswarnedofthe
projectsdangerousimplicationsforregionalsecurityandthefragileecosystemofthe
worldshighestandlargestplateau.

TheChinesegovernmentsclaimthatrailexpansionontheplateausimplybenefits
tourismandliftsTibetansoutofpovertydoesnotholduptoscrutinyandcannotbe
takenatfacevalue,theICTpresident,MatteoMecacci,saidlastyear.

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