Much as India's Nehru may hate the term, his government has always regarded the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal (pop. 8,500,000) as an Indian "sphere of influence." After the Chinese Communists moved into Tibet in 1950, Nehru said flatly: "The defense of Nepal is important to the security of India."
Last week, while India looked northward unhappily, Chinese and Nepalese negotiators in Katmandu toasted each other in orange soda pop and signed an eight-year treaty of trade and friendship drawn up in Peking. Under its terms the first Chinese Communist consulate will shortly open in Katmandu, and other Chinese "trade agencies"...
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