KATHMANDU, MARCH 24
Foreign policy experts want the government to enhance its diplomatic skills to deal with major powers, particularly China, India, and the United States, as they have competing interests in Nepal, leading to geopolitical rivalry in the country.
Addressing an interaction on 'BRI and Nepal-China relations' organised by the Centre for Social Inclusion and Federalism here today, Lokraj Baral said Nepali authorities should enhance diplomatic skills to deal with big powers without fearing any power's reaction. He said China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India reflected a rethink of bilateral ties and the visit was aimed at improving ties between the two neighbours.
Foreign policy analyst Geja Sharma Wagle said the Chinese FM's visit was aimed at moving the Belt and Road Initiative project ahead in Nepal. "China wants to increase its influence in Nepal through BRI, but it is a loan project," Wagle said. He added that the government should make all documents related to BRI projects, including memorandums of understanding, public so that people could see and comment on them as they did with the Millennium Challenge Corporation compact that Nepal signed with the US.
Wagle said Nepal made a mistake when it decided to elevate its relations with China from comprehensive partnership to strategic partnership without defining the term strategic partnership. A joint communique issued by Nepal and China after the Chinese president's visit in October 2019 stated that both countries had elevated their relations to strategic partnership of cooperation.
Wagle said the government should have debated the term strategic partnership before agreeing to incorporate it in the joint communique. Nepal should not try to define its foreign policy vis-à-vis China on the basis of parties' political ideology.
Foreign policy analyst Dinesh Bhattarai said unity was lacking on foreign policy issues. "Are our relations with China based on political ideology?" he wondered.
Bhattarai said government leadership should learn from late PM BP Koirala's dealing with China, adding that Koirala had firmly dealt with China when a member of Nepali security agency was killed by Chinese security personnel, besides resolving the Mount Everest issue satisfactorily.
About 80 participants including diplomats, bureaucrats, journalists and reporters, and scholars of various fields participated in the programme.
The seminar comes just ahead of the visit of China's State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi.
In the seminar, three major topics - BRI and Geopolitics: Risks and Opportunities, Nepal-China Cross-border Relations and Nepal-China Trade, Transit, and Transport were discussed. Researchers Ajaya Bhadra Khanal, Arpan Gelal, and Shraddha Ghimire presented their research findings respectively.
The first panel emphasised the impacts of great power rivalry on Nepal and viewed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang's visit from the same lens, according to a press release issued by CESIF. Furthermore, the panel discussed the contrasting models of diplomacy practised by Washington and Beijing and their averments towards one another regarding MCC and BRI.
In the context of BRI, the panelist opined that the component of loan makes the BRI a complicated issue.
Thus, the said issue may possibly reflect anxiety and caution in Nepal's negotiations with the Chinese side resulting in the delay in implementation of the BRI project. The panel particularly emphasised the issue of Tibet as Nepal shares border with Tibet, which is yet another contentious issue for China in its engagement with Nepal. Therefore, "raising the issue of Tibet is more provocative than productive".
The second-panel discussion revolved around the topic of Nepal-China cross border relations.
Panelists said there was lack of discussion on Nepal-China border issues, while most of the focus had been on issues along the southern border.
Another major theme that emerged during the discussions was the absence of local communities in the decision-making process which also created dissonance in understanding the border between borderland communities and the capital. The disregard of northern bordering communities from state institutions have made them increasingly dependent on Chinese assistance even for their daily supplies.
Panelists said there was infrastructure asymmetry between Nepal and China along the northern border which had further contributed to Nepal's growing dependency on China. They said it was important to develop strong bilateral mechanisms, including borderland communities in the decision-making process, improve coordination between the concerned ministries, and invest in the infrastructure of border management agencies.
The third session of the seminar dealt with trade, transit and transportation relationship with China.
The presenter highlighted the TTA agreement between the two countries signed in 2016 which gave Nepal access to seaports and three land ports via China. It has been more than five years since the agreement was signed, but it has not materialised.
Furthermore, the Nepal-China border has been closed since 2020 due to COVID-19 as China imposed strict COVID-19 regulations. This has impacted Nepal's trade and economy with China. The question of China's geopolitical and strategic interest and economic benefit for Nepal through transboundary Himalayan multi-dimensional connectivity network was raised.
Wagle wondered why China was imposing undeclared blockade on the northern border.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 25, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
