Song has not only breached the diplomatic norms, but has also meddled in Nepal-India relations
Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song has drawn flak from the diplomatic community in Nepal for making undiplomatic comments on Nepal-India relations. Song had made undiplomatic comments on the Nepal-India relations at a function in the capital attended by Speaker Devraj Ghimire on Saturday. During his speech, Song says, "Unfortunately, you have a neighbour like India, but fortunately you have a neighbour like India, because India is a huge market, huge potential you can tap into. But at the same time, India's policy towards Nepal and other neighbours is not so friendly and not so beneficial to Nepal. So that is we call policy constraints". Such utterances from an ambassador of a friendly neighbour about another friendly country of Nepal will damage the relations that Nepal and India have enjoyed since time immemorial. Commenting on Dr Kalyan Rokaya's paper, Song further said that "It's because we have very solid foundation, because almost at the same time, India also opened its door, but we did not see any economic booming in India. Only after recent years, we see that India's economy is starting to soar. So that is another misunderstanding about China". He may be free to pass comments on any other country's economy, but he does not have any right to make comments on Nepal's soil.
Talking about the sale of electricity to India from Nepal, the Chinese Ambassador had said, "Last year, you exported 10 billion rupees of electricity to India. How much you imported from India? You imported 19 billion Nepalese rupees of electricity from India. You had a deficit of electricity trade, one of the products you are proud of, and you think that will bring you economic independence". He has also said Nepal imported 7 billion series (cereal -ed) in the first month of this fiscal from India.
Song has also taken on India's open door policy. "India is also taking that policies, but it's not at the right time. So when India opens doors, it does not bring economic growth to India". It is none of the ambassador's business to pass comments on another country's economic policies being an envoy in another country.
This is the first time that a Chinese envoy has bluntly passed comments on the economic, energy and agriculture ties with Nepal and India. It is unbecoming to pass comments on other countries' relations. As an ambassador, Song should have focused on strengthening ties between Nepal and China. In this case, Song has not only breached diplomatic norms and values, but has also meddled in the friendly relations that exist between Nepal and India. In his speech, he, however, forgot to mention the hardships Nepalis have been facing due to the unofficial closure of imports and exports from the northern borders for the last two years. He should be familiar with the fact that Nepal also has a yawning trade deficit with China, which does not allow Nepali goods to enter there in a hassle-free manner. Song's statement has come at a time when PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal is set to visit China soon. Such kind of undiplomatic comments from another country's envoy with regard to Nepal-India relations only adds fuel to the fire. So, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must issue Song a strong warning against making such comments in the future
Promoting millet
Rice is making inroads in rural Nepal with the rapid expansion of road networks, and the farmers are consuming less of the indigenous food like kodo millet, buckwheat and sorghum. While it would be inappropriate for the urbanites to lecture the villagers on what they should eat or not eat, may be they would be encouraged to grow and consume indigenous crops if they understood their nutritional value. How many people know the health benefits of taking kodo millet, for example? That it helps in kidney functions, strengthens the immune system, is a diabetic-friendly crop due to its high protein and fibre content, and also helps anaemic patients due to a higher iron level?
Nutritional value apart, kodo millet holds great importance in Nepali agriculture in ensuring food security. It is a drought and pest-resistant hardy crop that grows naturally in the hills and mountains. Celebration of events like the International Year of Millets 2023 is significant in raising awareness about the nutritional value of the crop and its importance in ensuring food security. To promote millet in the country, nutritionists could help in creating tasty food items by combining it with other cereals.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 07, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
