Sam Ruaux (Committee Member, St. Hugh's College) is an undergraduate in his first year of studying Archaeology and Anthropology.

“If a country cannot provide help for developing countries, [they] should at least refrain from obstructing others from assisting these developing countries.” 

This is the response of Ambassador Hou Yanqi, to international criticism of the extension of the BRI (Belt and Road initiative) into Nepal. Of course, there is truth to Yanqi’s words; Nepal suffers from a difficult geography, with significant issues caused by water-flow from mountain glaciers, monsoon waters and rough, mountainous terrain. The complexities caused by these issues are a significant hindrance to the development of Nepalese economic power. Furthermore, the cost of dealing with these issues, in making resilient infrastructure, building bridges and constructing tunnels, compounds these issues. As a consequence, Nepal needs a high level of capital in order to be able to overcome these challenges. Capital which is now being offered to them by the Chinese.