Nepal, Aug. 6 -- Sixty-five years to the day that Sardar Gunja Man Singh and Ambassador Yuan Zhongxian signed the agreement and established diplomatic relations between Nepal and the People's Republic of China, Kathmandu's turn to the north is more of a reality now than ever.

Nepal has viewed China from two primary lenses: one, that China provides political and international backing against a hegemonic India; two, that Nepal can profit from China's economic progress, through aid and investment, and thus can become an alternative to Nepal's landlockedness vis-a-vis India. Both views are rooted in the 'China card'-a predisposition to look towards Beijing only when relations with Delhi are at a low, as currently-which Beijing analysts have ...