Wedged between the two rising Asian powers of China and India
Representational image
Kathmandu: Wedged between the two rising Asian powers of China and India, landlocked Nepal watched rescuers and offers of help pour in from both sides within hours of an earthquake.
India, the traditional power in the region, launched Operation Maitri soon after the quake on Saturday. It has sent the most help so far, deploying 13 aircraft and more than 500 rescuers as well as water, food, equipment and medical supplies.
China, increasingly making inroads in Nepal through everything from infrastructure investment to tourism, also pledged all-out assistance within hours of the disaster. It has sent 62 rescuers plus blankets, tents and generators. Pakistan, also has sent four cargo planes full of supplies, including concrete cutters and sniffer dogs.
The largesse of recent days is a microcosm of something much larger. It represents a subtle brand of disaster politics, a curious but understandable focus on strategically located Nepal, clearly a pocket of regional importance for powerful neighbors jockeying for position.
Nepal traditionally has fallen under India’s sway. But recent years have seen Nepal forge closer ties with China as a counterweight. An increasingly expansive Beijing, meanwhile, is eager to court the Nepalese government as it opens trade routes south and westward.
( Source : AP )
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