China to Create 'Separation' Line at Mt. Everest
Voice of America
China says it will create a “line of separation” atop Mount Everest to keep climbers from Nepal from possibly spreading COVID-19 among climbers climbing from Chinese-controlled Tibet.
21 Chinese climbers will scale the world’s highest peak sometime this year to establish the dividing line, according to State-run Xinhua News Agency. However, it is unclear how the climbers will mark the line, especially at the peak, which is a small, narrow area where only a handful of climbers can spend just a few minutes at a time to enjoy the view, the report said. Mount Everest straddles the border between China and Nepal, with the mountain’s north slope on the Chinese side and the south slope on the Nepalese side. While Beijing has banned foreign climbers since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the Nepalese government has begun issuing climbing permits in an effort to revitalize tourism revenue. But Nepal is currently mired in a surge of new coronavirus infections and deaths in recent weeks, mirroring the catastrophic deadly wave in neighboring India. According to the latest government data, Nepal reported 8,777 COVID cases Sunday, 30 times higher than numbers recorded in April Reuters reported. The country has so far reported a total caseload of 394,667 cases and 3,720 deaths.FILE - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi's visit in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released by by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), June 21, 2019. A news program broadcasts file images of a rocket launch by North Korea, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, May 28, 2024. A rocket launched by North Korea to deploy the country's second spy satellite exploded shortly after liftoff on May 27, state media reported.
A man walks past election posters of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), as South Africa prepares for the May 29 general elections, in Soweto, May 24, 2024. African National Congress (ANC) supporters sing songs during the political party's final rally ahead of the upcoming election at FNB stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. May 25, 2024.