Nepal Bans TikTok Days After Launching Corruption Probe Into China-Built Airport

The Nepal government has announced a ban on the Chinese short video-sharing app TikTok, following a Cabinet meeting on Monday (13 November).

This move comes days after the country launched a corruption investigation into a major airport project, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, in Pokhara.

The decision to ban TikTok was taken by the Nepal government, citing concerns about its negative impact on social harmony.

However, when the decision will be brought into force is yet to be ascertained, Kathmandu Post reported.

A large section of society has criticised TikTok for encouraging a tendency of hate speech, the government said. In the past four years, 1,647 cases of cyber crime have been reported on the video sharing app, the Nepali newspaper reported.

This comes days after Nepal’s Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority began probing the construction of the $216 million international airport in Pokhara.

The investigation focuses on allegations of inflated costs and compromised quality control in the project, handled by China CAMC Engineering.

Nepal’s Pokhara international airport, the country’s second-biggest city, opened in January.

China had agreed to provide loans to build the airport more than a decade ago.

Nepal had tapped China CAMC Engineering, the construction arm of a state-owned conglomerate, Sinomach, as the contractor.

The airport has struggled to attract regular international flights, leading to concerns about repaying the Chinese loans.

Nepali officials have requested these loans be converted into a grant, a plea yet to be addressed by China.

Earlier last month, The New York Times reported that CAMC had inflated the cost of the project and undermined Nepal’s efforts to maintain quality control, putting a priority on its own business interests. 

Further, Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, the agency overseeing the airport’s construction, did not put up much resistance - reluctant to upset Beijing on an important project for both countries.

Shortly after the article’s publication, Nepal’s Commission for the Investigation of Abuse and Authority raided the Pokhara offices of the Civil Aviation Authority and seized documents related to the project.

The probe into the Pokhara airport project reflects growing scrutiny over the Belt and Road Initiative, known for its extensive infrastructure projects in various countries. This investigation, coupled with the ban on TikTok, indicates a cautious approach by Nepal towards its engagements with Chinese enterprises.

Bhola Dahal, a spokesperson for the anti-corruption agency, confirmed that an investigation into the airport was underway but declined to elaborate, noting that it was still in the preliminary stages.

He said the agency had started the investigation in response to a complaint about irregularities with the project.