China woos Nepal with vaccine diplomacy

KATHMANDU, Nepal

As Nepal scrambles for COVID-19 vaccines amid the mounting death toll from coronavirus, China has stepped in to help with its jabs even as its regional rival grapples with its own crisis.

On Tuesday, Nepal received 800,000 of 1 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine Chinese President Xi Jinping announced following a phone conversation with his Nepalese counterpart Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

Faced with an acute shortage of medical supplies including medical oxygen as the new variant of coronavirus raged through Nepal, the government came under pressure from its people to procure vaccines.

Nepal's vaccination drive foundered after India's Serum Institute failed to deliver an additional 1 million doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, locally known as Covishield, following a rise in cases in India and the supreme court ban on vaccine exports.

It has left the country's 1.4 million elderly people, who received the first jab of Covishield months ago, in limbo.

Though Bhandari also wrote a letter to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind asking for vaccines, China, which had earlier sent medical supplies including oxygen cylinders, became the first country to pledge the vaccines to Nepal.

While Nepal's two giant neighbors – India and China – have supplied the impoverished country with life-saving jabs, vaccine diplomacy has also proved tricky for Kathmandu.

The government dragged its feet on the procurement "because it was under pressure from India to not seek help from China," said Purna Basnet, chief editor of Nepal Khabar, a Nepali-language digital platform.

"China was keen to help Nepal with vaccines, but the government seemed reluctant to approach the neighbor. The reason is that it didn't want to irk India," he told Anadolu Agency.

Aside from the deadly second wave, Nepal's rush for vaccines was also driven by the urgency to vaccinate its people after the government called for mid-term polls in November.

President Bhandari, who has a largely ceremonial role, has drawn criticism for leading the campaign instead of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who has been accused of downplaying the impact of the virus.

"This not only suggests the president is seeking a role in the state's affairs, but could also mean that she is bypassing the executive [the government which is the authority] under the Constitution," the country's largest-selling Kantipur newspaper said in an editorial on Friday.

Tika Dhakal, a spokesman for Bhandari, defended the move, saying that Nepal's worsening situation required it. "For the President, saving the lives of the people from COVID-19 pandemic remains a singular topmost priority. It is an urgent humanitarian issue for us," he told Nepal Live Today, an English-language digital platform.

Basnet, the journalist, said the president's overtures were an attempt to repair the image of the government, which has been accused of undermining the Constitution to remain in power.

"If the government fails to vaccinate at least 10 million people by August, as per its promise, it will have to pay a heavy price," he said.

"If it succeeds, the government will be the biggest beneficiary because this will have huge implications in the polls," he said.

Already, Nepalis have taken to social media with the hashtag #novaccinenovote. They have urged foreign governments and the international community to provide vaccines.

Beijing, meanwhile, will also benefit from its vaccine diplomacy as it competes for influence in South Asia, where India has traditionally been the dominant power.

"These measures further implemented will effectively support developing countries in their fight against the pandemic and restoring economic development, and provide a powerful boost to the construction of a global community of health for all," Hou Yanqi, Chinese ambassador to Nepal, said in an interview with Republica newspaper.