India's goodwill comes with no strings attached: CDS Bipin Rawat

New Delhi, Dec 17: Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat said that India's goodwill comes with no strings attached and warned Nepal to be wary of China.

Speaking at an event, CDS Rawat said that Nepal is free to act independently in international affairs but must be vigilant and learn from Sri Lanka and other nations which have also signed agreements with other countries in the region.

The CDS's comment comes after three back-to-back high-level visits from New Delhi to Kathmandu in the last two months.

Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Samant Kumar Goel had visited the Himalayan nation in the last two months.

From Nepal, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali is expected to embark on a trip to India this month.

The great game between the dragon and the elephant for strategic influence in the Himalayas has escalated with both sides trying to woo the landlocked nation. India is also bolstering link not only with Nepal but also with Bhutan and Bangladesh under the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India Nepal (BBIN) initiative.

Earlier, Nepal agreed to fast-track a rail connection from their capital Kathmandu to the Indian mainland. China is making a similar effort to link the Nepalese capital with Tibet.

Recently, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa rejected reports that Sri Lanka was lured into a "debt trap" by China after Beijing financed the strategic southern port of Hambantota.