[NEWS] How China gradually took over construction of Nepal's international airports

[Nikhel Nice]

How China gradually took over construction of Nepal's international airports

 

Construction companies under Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have often forced incumbent governments to abandon ongoing projects with anyone other than China in the region.

 

 

The expansion of Nepal's largest international airport has been enveloped in controversies over alleged corruption, loan extensions, fund stoppage and changing construction companies.

The modus operandi seems akin to what happened during Maldives' airport expansion when China jumped into the fray. The past decade has seen growing and aggressive infrastructure building in India's neighbourhood by Chinese state-owned companies.

Construction companies under Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have often forced incumbent governments to abandon ongoing projects with anyone other than China.

Companies abandoning projects are generally given out-of-court settlements - compensations big enough to stop work and leave. CCP-owned companies then take over the projects and gain political influence in these countries.

India Today OSINT team investigates two such projects in Nepal through satellite images over the past decade and as latest as of 01 Nov 2020.

 

 

Kathmandu airport expansion

Nepal's first airport, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, had planned expansion to accommodate traffic of 10 million passengers annually by 2035.

The expansion project was awarded to Spanish company 'SANJOSE Constructora' whose pace of work Nepal thought was slow and supposedly not satisfied with. The contract was terminated in 2016 for which the Spanish firm has sought $3 bn compensation.

 

 

Later in 2017, the same contract was given to Chinese state-owned Shanxi Construction Engineering Group which started expansion work. The CCP owned company withdrew quoting high cement prices and Nepali company Kalika Tundi Joint Venture took over the project.

There are strong rumours that these are front companies of CCP brought in due to Indian influence and pressure. The satellite images of the last four years indicate that after the CCP owned Shanxi Group undertook the project work has seen steady progress.

The runway has now been extended by 300m on the Southern end and provides for safety during takeoffs. The apron has been expanded by 150m X 120m for accommodating two wide-bodied and three narrow-bodied aircraft.

 

 

A remote parking bay of size 200m X 60m has been constructed next to the old hangars constructed possibly by the Spanish company. A small expansion of 45m X 30m has been added to the main terminal building.

The pace of work carried out and typical Chinese barracks for construction staff along with the cement mixer plant that have come up after Shanxi group's withdrawal from the contract suggest that the CCP company as the rumours suggest is possibly still working under the garb of the new joint venture.

 

Proposed expansions at TIA

 

There are multiple projects are proposed but not yet seen the light of the day. An extension of 300m of the runway at the Northern end similar to the Southern for safety during landing was proposed but somehow no work has begun on it.

Two remote parking bays for 15 wide-body aircraft similar to the one already constructed of size 200 m x 60 m has been proposed on the eastern side of the runway. A new larger terminal building for international travel is proposed to be built next to the present terminal building which in turn will be converted to the domestic terminal.

The Nepalese government was requested by Asian Development Bank to study their proposal for this new international terminal building to be built on the eastern side of the runway. A new taxiway which probably was in the contract with the Spanish company previously has not yet commenced work.

A new contract with all these proposals has possibly been awarded to another Chinese state-owned enterprise China National Aero Technology International Engineering Corporation, specialising in building airports to be completed by 2022.