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As the world watches China’s increasingly aggressive moves at sea, its quiet expansion across land borders in the Himalayas serves as a reminder that its ambitions extend far beyond the South China Sea or Taiwan. China is methodically expanding its reach, targeting small, vulnerable neighbors like Nepal and Bhutan.
Across from Nepal’s Humla District, a small, seemingly insignificant border marker near the village of Hilsa has become a powerful symbol of the region’s shifting geopolitical tides. This remote area, nestled high in the Himalayas, is now a quiet battleground where China is advancing its territorial claims in incremental, persistent ways. Fortifications have sprung up, guarded by high-tech surveillance and armed patrols, forming a stark divide between the barren Nepali side and newly robust Chinese infrastructure just across the border.
Glass-walled buildings, flood-lit roads, and modern facilities contrast sharply with Nepal’s underdeveloped and rugged terrain, signaling China’s increasing dominance in this remote region.
A 2021 fact-finding mission led by Nepali officials revealed the extent of China’s incursion, yet the report was buried—kept from public view and even high-ranking Nepali politicians.
The stark infrastructure imbalance underscores not only the widening gap between the two nations but also China’s deeper motives: to cement its hold on disputed territories and slowly push its influence beyond its borders.
For decades, Nepal provided a haven for Tibetans fleeing Chinese repression. Today, however, the stream of refugees has nearly dried up, with China’s expansion in Tibet and Xinjiang cutting off traditional escape routes and leaving Tibetans more isolated and controlled than ever. The network of surveillance and barriers erected across Tibet serves as a wall, both literally and figuratively, against those seeking refuge in Nepal. This shift is part of a broader trend under Xi Jinping, where hard-line policies in border areas seek to secure and extend China’s reach and control.
While Nepal contends with creeping encroachment, the stakes are even higher for Bhutan. In recent years, China has constructed 22 villages within Bhutan’s traditional borders, claiming about 2% of the small country’s territory. These settlements come complete with roads, military posts, and administrative centers, essentially creating new facts on the ground that are difficult to reverse.
For Bhutan, this encroachment has presented a grim dilemma: either concede these strategic lands or face the risk of escalating tensions.
**Bhutan’s situation mirrors China's gray-zone occupation strategy in the South China Sea, where it has transformed reefs and islands into fortified bases, altering the status quo and asserting control without risking direct conflict. **
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