They want to annex Nepal. So they decry things that make Nepal more independent. But giving aid makes Nepal more dependant on China, not less.
If you ask China, Nepal is already annexed, just like Taiwan.
China and Nepal have settled all of their border disputes. The PRC claims no part of Nepali territory.
Thank you for that clarification.
The Dalai Lama is from Tibet, not Nepal.
China is trying to build their soft power.
China’s issue with the Dalai Lama stems more from trying to control Tibet than anything to do with Nepal, since the Dalai Lama had government as well as religious power in Tibet when it was independent.
China and India have been quarrelling in regards to its shared border and control over the Himalayan Mountains with the smaller kingdoms acting as buffer states between the two. Chinese help to Nepal is likely a push to gain soft power in Nepal which could be useful in later China-India disputes.
China and Nepal have had some territorial disputes, but they are relatively minor compared to other nations. China is also investing in infrastructure to link Nepal to China.
What China is doing is pretty typical for a major power in trying to project soft power to a smaller nation playing both sides of a dispute. I don’t see China wanting to annex Nepal, but to keep it in its sphere of influence. Economic aid after a disaster is a typical action to buy good will.
This is more like a “winning of hearts and minds” I guess.
