Chinese Pressure Forces Nepal To Cancel Major Conference Despite Security Nod | Exclusive
News world Chinese Pressure Forces Nepal To Cancel Major Conference Despite Security Nod | Exclusive Chinese Pressure Forces Nepal To Cancel Major Conference Despite Security
News world Chinese Pressure Forces Nepal To Cancel Major Conference Despite Security Nod | Exclusive Chinese Pressure Forces Nepal To Cancel Major Conference Despite Security Nod | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: August 08, 2026, 17:12 IST Nepal’s security agencies had cleared the conference after routine vetting, but their assessment was overruled amid diplomatic and political pressure linked to Beijing. Rapid Read Nepal has cancelled a major international conference on Tibetan studies after sustained pressure from Beijing. (ORF) Nepal has cancelled a major international conference on Tibetan studies after sustained pressure from Beijing, overruling its own security agencies which had already cleared the event following routine vetting, top Indian intelligence sources told CNN-News18. The 17th International Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies was scheduled to bring together more than 500 scholars from across the world for a seven-day programme on Tibetan history, culture and related issues. According to the sources, Chinese officials, including Ambassador Zhang Maoming, held high-level meetings with Nepal’s Foreign Ministry and urged the Nepalese authorities to remain vigilant against discussions seen as supportive of Tibet or statements concerning the Dalai Lama. The pressure intensified shortly before the decision to cancel the event, with visiting senior Chinese representatives also lobbying the Nepalese leadership in Kathmandu, the sources said.
Among them was Venerable Master Yinshun, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, who was in Nepal in the period leading up to the cancellation. Security Clearance Overruled Nepal’s internal security agencies had already cleared the conference after routine security vetting, according to the intelligence sources. However, the assessment of the domestic agencies was ultimately overruled following diplomatic and political pressure linked to Beijing. Chief Secretary Govinda Bahadur Karkee, in consultation with Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, personally instructed Kathmandu University to halt the conference, the sources said. The decision was taken without the matter going through the Cabinet, according to the information available with CNN-News18. The episode is being viewed by Indian intelligence officials as a significant indication of Beijing’s growing influence within Nepal’s senior civil service and security establishment. Beijing’s Concerns Over Tibet Discussions China had raised concerns over the possibility that the conference could become a platform for discussions or statements on Tibet that went beyond academic scholarship, according to the sources. The participation of Tibetan exile scholars was among the issues that caused unease within the Nepalese administration. Officials were also concerned that public remarks during the seven-day event could turn the gathering into a platform for activist messaging on Tibet and the Dalai Lama, rather than remaining confined to academic discussions.
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