This article underlines the key aspects of China-Nepal relations in educational ties and it also tries to identify the aims of China`s soft power through higher education in Nepal. It also deals with the outline of China`s soft power through higher education as a tool in Nepal. The funds for the development of the infrastructural support of the Confucius Institute and play the role of host to the Nepalese students both studying in Nepal and China. Nepal did not have good relation with China, initially during the reign of Jangabhadur Rana in Nepal, it captured Tibet, and during the Sino-Nepal War in 1788-1792, Tibet was invaded by Nepal.
The war was led due to trade disputes because Nepal was manufacturing very low-quality coins for Tibet and this war was fought between Tibetan Tamang and Nepalese Gorkhas. Tibetan Tamang signed The Nepal Treaty of Kerung. Delegates from Tibet went to Kathmandu for diplomatic talks as an outcome political solution came out and war compensations were given to Nepal. Later the Nepalese troops were returned to Nepal and the captured land was also returned. In August 1955 Nepal-China diplomatic ties were established.
The turning point in their relationship came when the Treaty of Thapathali, in the year 1956 was replaced with a new treaty under this new treaty Nepal recognized Tibet as an integral part of China. The Sino-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship was signed on April 28, 1960, clearly defining Nepal and China’s bilateral relations. Nepal and China share a 1,414 km long border. In the year 1960 on March 21, the Sino-Nepal boundary agreement was signed between Nepal and China when both solved all the border disputes that boosted the relationship between the two.
The rectification of the border agreement was done on October 5, in the year 1961. Nepal a very small landlocked state which shares its boundary with two mega states China and India, Nepal is always trying to maintain a policy of balancing the competing influence of these two states. In contemporary times Nepal is supporting China for its entry into SAARC as a member in the regional cooperation of South Asia. Nepal receives a huge source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China and Nepal receives a huge source of remittance from India. There are almost around 19,456 Nepalese working in China and around 1 million Nepalese migrant workers in India. As India also shares its border with Nepal and has an open border we have to discuss the relation between Nepal and India too. In most of South Asian history, we read that according to the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Nepal and India have been very close with each other both strategically and politically.
The treaty established a special relationship that introduced an open border without a visa requirement and the movement of the people was unrestricted on both sides of the country, as well as recruitment of Nepalese Gorkhas soldiers in the Indian Army. August 2008, Nepal was under the Maoist led government by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, there was a positive change or vibes in the relations between Nepal and China. In the year of 2009, a “comprehensive partnership’’ of cooperation was established between Nepal and China. New developments were witnessed in the bilateral relations between Nepal and China.
Apart from military and economic forms of engagement, international ties through hard power are not always beneficial and fruitful. The research study mainly focuses on China’s New Diplomacy through soft power and developing the bilateral relations with its neighbour in South Asia and particular Nepal. As stated earlier, the sources of soft power- the power of appeal and attraction in contrast to corporations are cultures and values, ideologies, institutions and foreign policies (Nye, 1990). A remarkable question arises here that, what does China aims to achieve through its soft power? And the core interest of the study is a case study of Nepal. The research objectives are to understand the academic cultural and social experiences of Nepalese students in the foreign country studying in the Confucius Institute for scholarship and self-funded students. The study also tries to understand the correlation between the experiences of the Nepalese student and China soft power aims.
To understand China’s soft power aims and experiences of the Nepali students different varieties of sources has been applied in this research which involves, news stories, articles, interviews and speech speeches of Chinese President XI Jinping. Other sources are online interviews of China experts and U.S director of Confucius Institute in the United States and others are of South Asian export based in India, the website of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal.
Indian Factors
China is keen to scuttle India`s entrenched influence (Dabhande & Pant, 2004). As appeared in the DNA based on an Indian intelligence report, 22 China Study Centres (CSC) have come up in Nepal, with 11 of them on the Indo-Nepal border, “propagating subjects of Chinese culture, traditions, teachings and economy to the population in Nepal’’ (“Four dozen China study centres’’ 2014, December 28). Writing about China`s “soft power offensive in Nepal,’’ Zheng comments that many sections in Nepal “seem unconcerned’’ about the implication for Nepal`s sovereignty even as China`s influence in Nepal deepens because they are focused “instead of on China`s massive economic development and the spillover benefits it could have from their country’’ (Zheng, 2018, January 8, para.17)..
Chinas-Nepal Ties in Education Sector
In this paragraph, the study tries to describe the various educational ties between Nepal studied by China. China through the means of providing higher education to advance its soft power establishing bilateral ties with Nepal, and achieves some specific goals of their own. The section titled “exchange and cooperation’’ of China’s Medium and Long-term National Plan, 2011-2020 for higher education states. International aid to education shall be boosted, to cultivate and train professionals for other developing countries. A framework shall be established to make Chinese college graduates, overseas volunteer service available in more fields and through more channels. Chinese Government scholarship shall be increased, with the financial assistance offered mainly to students from other developing countries. Accordingly, in a joint statement released in March 2016 during Nepalese Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli’s visit to China, China offered approximately 400 training opportunities in human resource development and an increase in Government scholarship for Nepalese as well as inviting the latter to pursue higher education in China through other channels as well. Hence, the provisions of scholarship and training are the key to educational relationships with developing countries. In the case of the American and Oceania region, in contrast, what underlines China`s strategy is “partnership’’ that includes international exchange, involvement of multinational companies (such as for donation of funds and equipment for Chinese Universities) and government cooperative projects. (Jain, 2018, p.70)
Establishment Of Confucius Institute
The Confucius Institute established in Kathmandu University (CIKU) in 2017 through a partnership between the Hebei University of Economics and Business and Kathmandu University. The Confusion Institute offers the following services Chinese language teaching for Chinese language instructors; delivering of Chinese language teaching resources; administration of the HSK examination (Chinese Proficiency Test); provision of information and consultative service concerning China’s education, culture and other areas; and conducting language and cultural exchange activities between China and other countries.
Upon the completion of ten years since the establishment of Kathmandu, Yang Shichao, Political Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, said that the contribution of the Institute was to enable the Nepalese to learn Chinese and get to know about Chinese culture closely by responding to the lack of professional organization and by providing teachers and textbook. Hanban News operated by the Confucius Institute: Headquarters made further observations on the achievement of the Confucius Institute. The Confucius Institute at Kathmandu University has established 4 Confucius classrooms and 14 teaching sites, cultivated more than 20,000 students in all. It has made remarkable progress in establishing favourable cooperative relations with other universities, enlarging teaching venues, regulating the management system and enhancing the teaching level and influence and other aspects. (“Confucius Institute at Kathmandu University’’ 2017, para. 6). Nepalese actors and collaborators: China has received corporation from multiple actors in Nepal in China’s drive to enrol Nepalese students in Chinese institutions, though in varying degrees and forms. The following section identifies those six actors given below.
Thus, through education, China’s foreign policy influence and attracts Nepalese students, as a power of attraction and hence, builds very strong and beneficial bilateral ties. China is establishing and developing good relations with Nepal by providing loans, grants and scholarships. When a state-sponsored huge amount of investments to a developing country their self-motive is always hidden underneath. To great extent, it helps a developing nation to develop. But on the other hand, China also gets lots of advantages by doing so. Nepal is a buffer state between China and India. In the international arena, good relation maintained with the buffer state is always beneficial in times of conflict. China is giving counter to India by challenging its power in the cultural, educational and also political arena. By organizing several cultural, festivals, educational fairs, workshops, seminars to educate and influence the new generation of Nepal who might become the future political figure. But India is currently ahead in hosting Nepali students there are more than double of the students hosted by India than of China. When the students go abroad and studies on the scholarship based program and spend time during the course, experiencing a different culture, food habits and people-to-people contacts, plays a great role in influencing and impacting them positively in forming a pro-China opinion. Through course, teaching methods, topics discussed in their thesis and environment, a sense of belongingness is generated to the particular place. Above mentioned ideas really fits in the constituent of the educational soft power model, education also plays the role of a resource in attracting various Nepalese students to pursue higher studies and education also plays as a tool of foreign policy when students adopt host cultures and values.
