Mount Everest is referred to by its Chinese name “Chomolungma” in Nepal’s Sagarmatha Dialogue

Kathmandu: Xiao Jie, the vice chairman of the Chinese Standing Committee, called Mount Everest “Chomolungma,” its Sino name, at the opening session of the Sagarmatha Sambaad, Nepal’s premier event.

While the rest of the guests used the English and Nepali names for the event, Xiao Jie, the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People’s Republic of China, exclusively used the Chinese term for Everest when he spoke.

The event with the world’s tallest mountain, Sagarmatha, also known as Mount Everest, was named “Sagarmatha Sambaad” by Nepal, where Sambaad means “conversation” in Nepali.

For the first session of the three-day event, Xiao Jie was asked to serve as the keynote speaker. A translator translated his statements, which he made in Chinese.

During the inaugural session, Jie remained at the podium for almost twenty minutes, pronouncing “Chomolungma” 10 times instead of the event’s title, Sagarmatha.

“We also noticed it, but we are in no power to say anything about it,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, who wished to remain anonymous, told ANI.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel were in the hall when the Chinese dignitary used the Sino term for the highest mountain in the world and denied the event’s title. More than 200 people attended the ceremony, including leaders from several nations.

Notably, Prime Minister Oli recently said at a public gathering that the Nepali name for the world’s highest mountain, “Sagarmatha,” should be used instead of other names. Oli, however, said nothing about the word’s use during the Friday event.

The Foreign Ministry did not respond when ANI attempted to contact them for comment.

Representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, India, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Brazil, Egypt, Oman, and Pakistan are among the national delegations attending the three-day event in Kathmandu.

The United Nations, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, SAARC, BIMSTEC, and ICIMOD are examples of regional and international organizations.