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Indian PM skips opening of Nepal's Chinese-built airport

Published : Tuesday, 17 May, 2022 at 12:00 AM  Count : 766

LUMBINI, May 16: Nepal on Monday opened a Chinese-built airport intended to capitalise on Buddhist tourism, as India's prime minister landed a few kilometres away to mark the birth, enlightenment and death of the religion's founder.
But Narendra Modi flew by helicopter directly from a nearby Indian airport to the Buddha's birthplace at Lumbini, bypassing the new facility as his Nepali counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba inaugurated it.
The sequence of events illustrates the competition for influence in the landlocked Himalayan country by its two giant neighbours.
Nepal has traditionally done a balancing act between New Delhi and Beijing, but analysts believe Indian influence over Kathmandu has been dwindling as China pours heavy investment into the landlocked Himalayan nation.
The $76 million airport project in Bhairahawa, the closest city to Lumbini, is funded by the Asian Development Bank and OPEC Fund for International Development but built by China's Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction Group.    -AFP










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