In order to improve the internet infrastructure in Nepal, the Chinese government has successfully linked its neighbors to mainland China with an optical fiber network, according to state media outlet Xinhua.

Nepal's state-owned Nepal Telecom (NT) announced on Saturday that its optical fiber network has been linked with China Telecom Corporation Limited.

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"After establishing connection, we conducted technical test about two weeks ago," Dilliram Adhikari, joint spokesperson of NT was quoted as saying in the report.

Nepal can now be directly connected to Hong Kong Data Centre, which is one of the biggest data centers in Asia. The direct connection to the data centre is likely to end Nepal's search for high-speed internet connectivity.

The Himalayan kingdom can now also purchase internet bandwidth from from Chinese companies, for which it had to rely on India and other countries.

"This will create a competitive environment for purchasing internet services which could reduce the cost of Internet service here," Adhikari said.

For China, this is another shot in the arm to reduce Nepal's dependency on its traditional ally India. Over the years China has been ramping up all its infrastructure projects in Nepal, which has brought the two Himalayan neighbors closer. More importantly, this has given China an opportunity to beef up its presence in India's neighborhood, according to experts.

Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Oli, who paid a state visit to China earlier this year, was given a red carpet welcome by the Chinese Government. Apart from signing several MOU's for infrastructural projects, Nepal was also promisedf financial aid and unrestricted fuel supply.  

Nepal's overture towards China has raised serious concerns in New Delhi, which is already overwhelmed by China's presence in other neighboring countries including Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

TagsChina and Nepal, china, Nepal, China and India, India, optical fiber cable network, optical fiber network, Internet