According to reports, there have been several meetings between Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, and Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has raised concerns in Kathmandu and even in New Delhi.
The timing of the meetings particularly raises suspicion because Prime Minister KP Oli who is getting calls from his own party members to step down from power. This includes President Bhandari and former Prime Ministers Madhav Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal. The Chinese ambassador Hou Yanqi has met the leaders including Oli’s rivals. Oli is known to have been close to China and is looking to evade stepping down from the post.
There have been at least 30 people in the 44-member standing committee who have demanded the resignation of Oli. The standing committee has been scheduled on Wednesday and while the committee is against Oli, Prachanda and other leaders are supporting Oli. If Oli refuses to step down, there will be disciplinary action against him and possibly be expelled from the party. A source close in Kathmandu said,
“No leader will want to take the blame for splitting the party. The difference among the top leaders are not as serious as being made out and can still be sorted out.”
The meeting carried out by Hou wasn’t approved by Nepal’s foreign ministry and it has seemingly violated the diplomatic code of conduct. As per reports, Hou is set to have emphasized in the meeting and asked the party to resolve their differences with Oli. A source close to Chinese embassy spokesperson said that,
“China did not wish to see the Nepal Communist Party in trouble and wished that leaders would resolve their differences and stay united.”
The Immature Foreign Policy Might Be The Reason
There have been fears that Oli might be pushing for a party split and surviving in power with support possibly from the Nepal Congress which is the main opposition party. The reason for this has been the immature foreign policy that Oli had introduced that has hurt the relationship with the neighboring countries including India.
His decision to release a hastily a new map of Nepal that have disputed landmarked as Nepali territory has angered India. The issuance of the map happened despite the objections of India. However, the new map was unanimously approved by Nepal’s Parliament. On the other hand, Nepal has publicly endorsed China ‘s new security law in Hong Kong.
Source: The Times of India
