Insight Talk: China-Nepal Cooperation Needed to Fight Against Covid-19

Editor’s Note:  A deadly wave of Covid-19 has hit South Asia including Nepal, which draws world’s attention. In a video interview with China Focus, Leela Mani Paudyal, former Nepalese Ambassador to China, gives his insights on the current pandemic situation in Nepal and what should Nepal and China do to fight against Covid-19.

China Focus: How is the pandemic situation in Nepal currently?

Leela Mani Paudyal: The situation in Nepal is very precarious. Every day about nine to ten thousand people are infected [with COVID-19], and the infection rate is from thirty percent to fifty percent.

I mean, if a hundred people are tested for coronavirus, thirty to fifty people are seeing a positive result. The situation in Kathmandu and the other major cities is very bad. People are not able to get hospital beds and the emergency supply of oxygen has depleted. That’s why the situation is very poor.

China Focus: Why has the pandemic situation in Nepal become more serious recently?

Leela Mani Paudyal: The reason for this very poor situation is attributed to several factors.  First in the month of January and early February there was a rapid surge of a second wave of coronavirus in India.

Nepal has an open border with India and the government should have controlled and regulated the border and then should have quarantined the people traveling into Nepal from India. But the government didn’t care about that.

The second reason, the government itself organized different mass meetings, rallies and conferences. That contributed to the rapid spread of coronavirus from India to different parts of Nepal.

And the third reason, since last year the coronavirus was not completely controlled but the government did little to upgrade the hospital capabilities and keep stock of emergency supplies. Nothing was done. When there was a rapid rise of coronavirus patients in hospitals, the hospitals were not able to cater to the needs of patients and that’s why the people are very scared, and the people are not very satisfied with what the government is doing.

China Focus: Given the current situation in Nepal, what measures should it take to control the pandemic?

Leela Mani Paudyal: Basically, the government first needs to launch a campaign for testing coronavirus in communities. If the coronavirus spread rate is about fifty percent, thirty to fifty percent, it means it has already reached the community level. That’s why the government must conduct mass scale coronavirus testing activities. That has not been done.

Second, if after testing people are found positive then they must be quarantined and some very serious patients should have access to treatment facilities in hospitals.

Simultaneously, the government also should procure essential supplies like medicine and oxygen and also upgrade hospital’s quality including building new hospitals like China did in 2020 in Wuhan, the emergency building of a new hospital. The supply of human resources in hospitals and also the essential medicines and oxygen, something like that.

Also, the vaccine [is very important]. Although the government has already initiated a vaccination program from the month of March, the supply is very limited.

There is no certainty of the future supply of vaccines. That’s why people are very scared and the government should expedite its process of procuring vaccines and supplying essential drugs, oxygen and other materials, and also manage human resources, upgrade hospital qualities, conduct mass scale testing and quarantine, and enforce other measures such as not allowing people to gather and using masks in public places, other protocols that globally, countries which have success stories of controlling coronavirus, that needs to be adapted in Nepal as well.

China Focus: With the current situation in Nepal worsening, how can China and Nepal cooperate on containing COVID-19?

Leela Mani Paudyal: China has been continuously supporting Nepal from early 2020 when Nepal was one of the countries with coronavirus infections and a high infection rate. And then this time, today, China has supported [Nepal] with oxygen, ventilators and other supporting materials that have landed in Kathmandu.

I would like to commend and thank the Chinese people and the government for their generous support to Nepali people. China is a true friend of Nepal and “a friend in need is friend indeed.” Really, China has greatly contributed to the control of this pandemic from the very beginning and this second surge of the coronavirus as well.

The Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Chinese Foreign Minister, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson and several people have already publicly showed their solidarity with the Nepali people and also assured for providing any kind of support the government of Nepal intends to receive from China.

At this moment particularly China has the capability and willingness both to support its neighboring countries including Nepal in this pandemic because China has the success story of effectively controlling the coronavirus. China is one of the major countries that produces coronavirus related equipment, medicines and supplies and China has also continuously supported developing countries and neighboring countries including Nepal, and they have also donated vaccines, eight hundred thousand vaccines to Nepal.

That’s why China has the capability and willingness. China’s support is indispensable for Nepal. The Government of Nepal should approach China in a comprehensive way for any kind of support needed for Nepal, including the emergency building of hospitals and human resource capabilities, other kinds of support like life support drugs, medicine and oxygen, the supply of equipment and other accessories and also vaccines. The government should comprehensively approach China and talk with them, and then China can support Nepal from its position of strength.

China Focus: On April 27, foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka jointly held a video conference on COVID-19. How does the consensus reached at this meeting help regions to fight the pandemic? What does it mean for deeper multilateral cooperation between South Asia and China?

Leela Mani Paudyal: Talking about China and South Asia, recently the Chinese foreign minister conducted a meeting with foreign ministers of South Asian countries and assured them of providing support to all of them [against COVID-19].

China’s support in the global control of the pandemic is a significantly invaluable supporter, and significantly important and indispensable. In this moment we hope and wish that the countries in South Asia can work together to control the pandemic because it has cross border ramifications. As India’s second wave has surged, it has rapidly transmitted to Nepal and we have greatly suffered from it.

That is why controlling only one country is not sufficient enough to control this pandemic, and it needs cooperation, regional cooperation and global cooperation. China has been championing this, and also supports the global move against the coronavirus. China can also produce vaccines, that’s why China can supply vaccines to countries in South Asia including Nepal. I hope and wish that China-Nepal cooperation can produce good results and we will be able to control all of this with the help of China.