Devo Gurung, former general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center), wrote an article in China Daily on September 3 that the root cause of Nepal's landslide disaster lies in glacier instability caused by climate change. The international community should strengthen cross-border monitoring and early warning, let developed countries assume climate responsibilities, and increase financial and technical support to developing countries.
The article stated that a catastrophic mudslide roared down the border valley between China and Nepal, destroying the Gyirong-Resowa port and shattering people's luck in the stability of nature. The impact of mudslides has affected the entire Himalayas and the wider region.
Some Western media either deliberately ignored or maliciously distorted this fact: this disaster was not a so-called "infrastructure problem" or "insufficient information sharing", but a natural disaster caused by climate change promoting the instability of the glacier system.
According to a joint assessment conducted by Chinese and Nepalese experts and relevant official agencies, the direct cause of the disaster was a glacier break in the high mountains of Nepal. The large-scale mudslide caused by it traveled for about 22 kilometers and then hit the Chinese border port.
The article pointed out that in the face of major disasters, all parties should resolutely oppose any baseless speculation and hype with ulterior motives. This kind of remarks not only violates scientific common sense, but also shows great disrespect for the people affected by the disaster.
This tragedy has once again sounded the alarm to the world, indicating that the earth's cryosphere is "loosening." The consequences of climate change are not just a slow and gradual process, but may suddenly trigger devastating chain disasters.
The article believes that China responded positively as a responsible major country and friendly neighbor and quickly provided emergency cash assistance and humanitarian supplies to Nepal. These aid supplies have arrived in Nepal, and relevant rescue experts have also rushed to the scene. China's key data such as satellite remote sensing images and hydrological information have also been shared with Nigeria.
This is not an isolated aid operation. For a long time, China has been supporting Nepal's development and providing important assistance when Nepal encounters major disasters.
These actions bear witness to the "friendship across the Himalayas" between the two countries and are also concrete practices of China's concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and promoting South-South cooperation.
The article emphasizes that while the two countries are working together to carry out rescue and post-disaster recovery, some Western media are trying to politicize this natural disaster and make irresponsible accusations. These media should abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological bias and immediately stop this unconstructive practice.
Rather than blaming China and Nigeria for their rescue operations, these media outlets should focus on urging their governments to fulfill their long-standing climate financing commitments.
The article concludes that all countries, especially developed countries, should regard climate change as a major non-traditional security threat and shoulder their due historical responsibilities to provide developing countries with large-scale, predictable, and easily accessible climate finance and technical support.
At the same time, the international community must also accelerate the establishment of a transnational high-altitude disaster monitoring and early warning system to jointly respond to emerging new challenges such as glacier instability.
A true multipolar world should not just be about the redistribution of power, but should also be reflected in the unity and cooperation of all countries to jointly respond to common threats related to human survival and development.
(The original English text was published in China Daily’s "Zhixianghui" column:
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202609/03/WS6a98d0a7e4b06d4aa055c1c4.html)
