Is China trying to rename Mount Everest by pushing ‘Chomolungma’ at Nepal dialogue?

At a time of renewed diplomatic tension between India and Pakistan, a high-level climate summit in Kathmandu has again garnered attention. During the inaugural session of Nepal’s international climate dialogue, Sagarmatha Sambaad, China’s Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Xiao Jie, referred to Mount Everest exclusively by its Chinese name, 'Chomolungma,' ANI reported. The event was named after the Nepali term “Sagarmatha” and symbolically anchored Nepal’s stewardship of the world’s tallest peak. While the usage of “Chomolungma” may appear symbolic, it might holds deeper implications amid regional sensitivities.

The name “Chomolungma” was used at least ten times by Xiai Jie in his 20-minute keynote speech, despite the forum being named after Nepal’s designation, according to ANI. In the speech, delivered in Chinese and translated live into English, his remarks stood out, as all other dignitaries referred to the mountain as “Sagarmatha” or “Mount Everest.”

According to ANI, an official from Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while speaking anonymously, commented, “We also noticed it, but we are in no power to say anything about it.” Despite the high-level presence of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli along with other cabinet members, no public remarks or interruptions were made regarding China’s insistence on its nomenclature.

What made the incident particularly significant, was the fact that recently, efforts were made by Prime Minister Oli to publicly urge international audiences to refer to the peak by its Nepali name, Sagarmatha. The silence from Nepal’s leadership on Xiao Jie’s usage has since raised eyebrows in diplomatic and academic circles.

Mount Everest, straddling the Nepal-Tibet border, is renowned internationally as Everest, “Sagarmatha” in Nepal, and “Jomolangma” in Tibetan. China refers this mountain peak as “Chomolungma”, a pinyin-based transliteration of the Tibetan name. What is interesting to note is that China did not actually have an official name for the peak until its annexation of Tibet in the 1950s.

The three-day event titled 'Sagarmatha Sambaad', held in Kathmandu from May 17, brought together over 200 delegates from multiple nations including India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Japan, the UK, and the UAE, alongside international bodies like the UN, World Bank, and SAARC. Xiao Jie was invited as the keynote speaker, representing China.

The incident comes shortly after India publicly rejected China’s attempts to rename several places in Arunachal Pradesh, reaffirming its sovereignty over the region. The pattern of asserting territorial or cultural nomenclature through official platforms has drawn attention in multiple contexts.