Phanindra Nepal
Suspicions have emerged that Tibetan refugees in Nepal have started increasing their anti-China activities. These concerns were further reinforced when around 700 refugees residing in the Bouddha area of Kathmandu held an election on June 14, 2025, and elected a new leader Phurbu Tashi as the head of the Bouddha camp.
The vote counting was done at the Garden Khansar in Lazimpat, which functions as an unofficial Embassy of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in Nepal. The active presence of the embassy of the separatist Dalai Lama-led exile government in Nepal is an undesirable indifference against Nepal’s One-China policy.
The Kathmandu District Administration Office reportedly granted permission for the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected Tashi on June 16, 2025. Sources say that this is an attempt to use this event to conduct an anti-China program, which is more clearly against so called one China policy in Nepal.
It is also reported that the local government Office, Kathmandu recommended approval for these programs that increasingly appear to support “Free Tibet” initiatives, raising suspicions of encouragement and protection for anti-China activities.
According to sources, during the event held on June16 a photograph of the Dalai Lama was displayed, and the “Free Tibet” flag was hoisted. The anti-China activists reportedly sang “Free Tibet” songs at the same event. Though permission was officially obtained for a ceremonial event in memory of deceased ancestors, well-informed sources claim it was actually funded by American financial support.
To hoist the Tibetan flag and sing protest songs in Bouddha, Kathmandu in the presence of Euro-American and Indo-Western diplomats is a matter of great concern and serious reflection. According to independent sources, following the 2005/06 political revolutionary movement in Nepal, Girija Prasad Koirala came to power, and then Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula was accused of allowing “Free Tibet” activities in Nepal during 2006-07, allegedly catering to American, Western, and Indian interests, intensifying anti-China sentiment.
Now, with the Chief District Officer’s (CDO) office in Kathmandu itself granting permission to such organizations — termites of Nepal-China relations — for anti-China programs targeting Tibet (an autonomous region of China), suspicions have grown that this could undermine Nepal-China relations. Nepal and China have maintained diplomatic relations for over 70 years, and both governments have been conducting several programs to strengthen ties at the governmental and public levels. However, experts in diplomacy have warned that Nepal’s own administrative bodies enabling such activities could have a damaging effect on bilateral relations.
China shares its borders with 14 countries, including Nepal. The autonomous region of Xinjiang (Tibet) shares the borders Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and India. China’s autonomous region Tibet shares a greater portion of its border with India than with Nepal. However, instead of engaging in anti-Tibet activities from its own territory—despite hosting the exiled Tibetan government in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh—India considers it safer to conduct such activities from Nepali soil. Similarly, the United States also shows more interest in carrying out anti-China activities from Nepali territory rather than from Indian land that borders Tibet.
Thus, the United States and India are trying to create difficulties for Nepal by using Nepali territory for anti-China activities. It is essential for Nepal to understand that the Indo-American ill-intention is to destabilize, disrupt, and create unrest in Tibet to disturb China and shatter its dream of becoming a global superpower. Nepal must act accordingly with this awareness. For China , Tibet is a matters of territorial integrity , but for Nepal , China’s territorial integrity is equally essential for both Nepal’s own territorial integrity and sovereignty .
The global geopolitical landscape is terrifying — major changes can be seen in the blink of an eye. In this storm of instability, it is uncertain who will end up where, but one thing can be trusted with eyes closed: Nepal, located on one side of China, will continue to exist as long as China exists.
[The wrtier is the Chairman of Greater Nepal Nationalist Front]
