To promote the “2020 Visit Nepal” campaign, 108 sculptures were built around Nepal. The chosen mascot was the Yeti, the mythical creature from Himalayan folklore. Within weeks of the national lockdown in March, the 2020 Visit Nepal campaign was cancelled. Airports were shut. Nepal has eight out of the world’s tallest 14 mountains. Mountaineers and hikers were prohibited from climbing any of them.
By May, people in Kathmandu began to see the Everest
summit clearly for the first time. All these years, pollution had hidden it.
There was only one delegation that went to the top of
Everest in May 2020 - a large official Chinese delegation. What was it doing
there?
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Everest’s official height of 8848 meters is mentioned
in travel books. In 1956, it was measured by the Survey of India. Over the last
couple of decades, China and Nepal have been arguing about the height. China
measures it up to the top rock, whereas Nepal measures it up to the top snow
point. The difference is 4 meters. China uses the Yellow sea, while Nepal uses
the Bay of Bengal to identify the sea level.
In October 2019, XI Jinping made a state visit to Nepal.
In Kathmandu; China and Nepal excitedly announced a co-operation project of
remeasuring Everest and jointly announcing the findings. Nepal completed its fieldwork
in January. Once the pandemic started, China announced in May it would like to
take advantage of the unexpected free time to measure the height.
A strong Chinese surveying team of fifty-six reached
the summit and conducted their own measurements. They used Beidou, the Chinese
GPS. A Chinese plane carrying precision gravity survey equipment hovered over
the mountain, during the delegation’s climb. In Mount Everest’s history, May
2020 is believed to be the only time when there were exclusively Chinese people
on the peak.
In September, Yang Yuanxi, a member of the Chinese Academy
of Science, described the importance of the project: “A precise measurement of
Everest was a demonstration of China’s technological development. It is a
symbol of the country’s sovereignty, and carries huge international impact and
societal recognition. The precision of this measuring mission will be better
than any previous mission.”
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In the past seven months, more than a million Nepali people,
including Sherpas, cooks, tourist guides, porters, pilots have become
unemployed. Some plant barley, or graze yaks for survival, but the majority
face a deep financial crisis. One shop owner selling jackets, tents, hiking boots
and survival equipment said he had not seen a single customer since March. He
merely keeps the shop open to avoid going insane.
In 2019, remittances from abroad were $9 billon,
mainly from the Gulf. Nepal exports security guards and maids who in total
remit 30% GDP of Nepal. Since March, remittances stopped. Nepali workers returned
home. Their families were forced to take their children out of private schools.
For a population of 30 million, Nepal has 2600 ICU
beds and 930 ventilators in total. All of them are currently in use. Yesterday,
a record 30 people died of Covid-19.
At the bottom of the tallest mountain lies one of the
poorest nations.
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Last year, some 90% of foreign direct investment in
Nepal came from China. During the state visit, Xi promised $ 500 million in
financial aid. This doesn’t include the massive Chinese investment in Nepali
infrastructure projects on new airports, railways and hydropower plants.
Common Nepalese get upset about Chinese claiming
co-ownership of mount Everest. As you may have guessed, a Chinese delegation
measuring the height is a geopolitical show. Three or four meters make no
difference, but establishing Chinese hegemony is critical. Photos of a Chinese
delegation monopolizing Mount Everest symbolizes that power.
After the pandemic crushes the poor nation’s economy,
Nepal has little choice. When the Chinese announce the precise height of Everest
this month, Nepal will happily accept that measurement.
Ravi
very sad
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