China has committed US$1 million worth of military aid to Nepal’s beleaguered army, and Russia has become the only country of renown in the world to support “His Majesty the King’s efforts to defeat terrorism and extremism, and to restore peace and stability and reenergize meaningful democratic exercise through municipal and general elections.”
Chinese aid is not much in terms of its monetary value, but it is a huge moral boost to Nepal’s internationally isolated regime. It is also a strong message to India, Nepal’s giant neighbor, with which this tiny Himalayan kingdom shares a very close relationship, culturally, militarily and economically, thanks to a porous border.