India should not link everything to China border disputes: expert

India should not link everything to its border disputes with China, a Chinese expert said on Sunday after India media blamed the standoff for stalling its plan with Nepal to re- measure the world’s tallest peak.

On Sunday, The Times of India reported that a project to remeasure Mount Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest, was believed to have been delayed, after it received no response from Nepal three months after the proposal was sent.

Nepal is holding up its response to avoid “being seen as aligning with India on any project at this juncture when tensions are flaring up between the two giants,” said the report, quoting Swarna Subba Rao, former head of Survey of India, who launched the project.

“Facing border tensions, India is deeply anxious about whether neighboring countries are taking its side. However, the cause of Nepal’s no response remains uncertain, and India should not link everything to the dispute,” said Li Li, a professor at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

Citing unnamed experts, the report added that relations have become strained between India and Nepal over the last few years, and China is taking the opportunity to gain influence in the Himalayan nation.

However, Li noted that India should abandon its zero- sum game mentality when it comes to China’s growing influence in South Asia, and stop hyping China’s assistance to countries in the region. She added that India should take a rational attitude toward China’s relations with other Asian countries and avoid overreacting.

India announced its remeasurement plan as early as January, following doubts expressed by scientists about the shrinking of Qomolangma after the devastating 7.8- magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal in April 2015. Qomolangma’s current official height of 8,848 meters was established in 1955, which Nepal recognizes.