(TibetanReview.net, May17’25) – To the rest of the world the highest peak in the world is Mt Everest. To Nepal, on whose northern border its southern part rises, it is Sagarmatha. And to Tibet, on whose southern border its northern part stands, it is Jomolangma. China never had a name for it because it was never a part of its territory, until it annexed Tibet in the 1950’s.
China calls Mt Everest ‘Chomolungma’, a distorted, apparent pinyin rendition of its Tibetan name.
At the opening session on May 17 of a three-day international ‘Sagarmatha Sambaad’ forum organized by Nepal in capital Kathmandu, Xiao Jie, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, insisted on calling the world’s highest peak, “Chomolungma”, raising concerns. However, none have dared to intervene to correct him.
This occurred despite the event’s focus on Nepal’s stewardship and Prime Minister KPS Oli’s recent call to use “Sagarmatha.” The silence from Nepali officials on the matter sparked discussions in diplomatic and public spheres, overshadowing the international climate dialogue, reported the economictimes.com May 17.
The event is named after the Nepali name for Everest, Sagarmatha, and was meant to underscore Nepal’s stewardship of the world’s tallest peak.
Despite the official title of the event, Xiao, who delivered the keynote address in Chinese (translated live into English), used the term “Chomolungma” at least ten times during his 20-minute speech. Oher dignitaries and attendees referred to the mountain as either Sagarmatha or Mount Everest, reported the ANI news service.
An official from Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaking to ANI on condition of anonymity, has said: “We also noticed it, but we are in no power to say anything about it.”
Present at the session were Nepal’s Prime Minister Oli, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, among others. However, none of the senior officials commented publicly on the usage of the Chinese term during the high-level opening ceremony, the report said.
It said the incident came days after PM Oli publicly urged the global community to recognise the mountain by its Nepali name, Sagarmatha, rather than foreign or alternative names. His silence on Xiao’s repeated reference to the Chinese name was stated to have raised eyebrows in diplomatic and public circles.
The three-day Sagarmatha Sambaad (“Sambaad” meaning “conversation”) is being attended by over 200 participants from across the world, including representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Japan, Qatar, Pakistan, the UK, and the UAE, as well as major international organisations like the United Nations, World Bank, ADB, SAARC, BIMSTEC, and ICIMOD, according to the economictimes.com report.