Supporters of Nepal’s ruling Communist Party of Nepal splinter group take part in a protest in Kathmandu. (December 29, 2020)
A political crisis in Nepal, a small landlocked country in the southern Himalayas, has deeply disturbed the top leaders of its giant neighbor, China, with a population of 1.4 billion. A senior Chinese Communist Party delegation rushed to Kathmandu on orders from Xi Jinping to mediate between the embattled political parties, a move that drew considerable international attention.
The political crisis came on Dec. 20, when Nepal’s Prime Minister Sharma Oli suddenly announced the dissolution of parliament and called for early parliamentary elections. President Bidya Devi Bhandari then announced the dissolution of the House of Representatives. Nepal is facing a constitutional crisis.
Oli’s extraordinary measures were prompted by a proposal submitted jointly by nearly 100 lawmakers in the ruling Communist Party to remove Oli as prime minister and appoint CPN chairman Prachanda to the post. According to a consensus reached when the CPN factions merged in 2018, the leaders of the two factions took turns as prime minister.
The sudden political change in Nepal took Beijing by surprise and cast a shadow of uncertainty over the future of the impoverished country’s 30 million people.
Seven ministers in Oli’s cabinet resigned, and the public was outraged by the political infighting. The new crown epidemic has wreaked havoc on Nepal’s economy, with people taking to the streets to protest and burn portraits of the prime minister.
For the Chinese Communist Party, the political chaos in Nepal could deal an unforeseen blow to Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road project. The Chinese Communist Party has reportedly invested heavily in Nepal for this project in recent years.
Just a few days after the political crisis broke out in Nepal, Zhongnanhai decided to send a CPC delegation headed by Guo Pazhou, vice minister of the CPC Central Committee’s Foreign Liaison Department, to Kathmandu immediately to understand the situation, mediate conflicts and deal with the crisis.
According to several media reports, Guo and his delegation opened dialogue with leaders of Nepal’s political factions and ruling party immediately after arriving in Kathmandu on Dec. 27, and also met with President Bhandari and Oli on the same day. Bhandari’s personal secretary said the meeting lasted for nearly an hour.
Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi met with Bhandari before Guo Pazhou and his delegation arrived in Nepal to discuss the chaos caused by the dissolution of the parliament.
The Chinese delegation also met last Tuesday and Wednesday with Sher Bahadur Deuba, a former prime minister and chairman of the opposition Nepali Congress.
According to Reuters, Deuba’s aide Dinesh Bhattarai said, “Whatever changes occur in Nepal, the Chinese side wants to maintain relations with all political parties (in Nepal) and maintain economic cooperation with Nepal, including the Trans-Himalayan Multidimensional Connectivity Network project. “
The project, which was identified during Xi’s visit to Nepal in October 2019, involves the construction of many infrastructure projects such as wharves, roads, railroads, airports and communication facilities. The total investment amounts to billions of dollars.
Some diplomats in Kathmandu see Guo Pazhou’s visit as a naked demonstration of China’s continuing growth in influence over Nepal’s internal affairs. Reuters quoted one Western diplomat as saying, “Why would a country rush to send a delegation to visit a neighboring country during a viral pandemic? This is a very clear indication that the Chinese control Nepal’s internal affairs and they want to continue to expand their investments there in the near future.”
An Asian diplomat took a similar view. The diplomat told Reuters, “They are buying land there, investing in massive infrastructure projects, and keeping a tight grip on the ruling and opposition parties.”
“Beijing has huge interests there,” the diplomat said.
India is closely following developments in Nepal and is surprised by China’s open involvement in Nepalese politics. A commentary in The Times of India said China’s move showed not only its desperation, but also that it could risk being seen to be openly interfering in Nepalese politics.
The Communist Party’s foreign ministry has pushed back against criticism that the CCP is interfering in Nepal’s internal affairs. At a regular press conference on December 28, Zhao Lijian said, “For a long time, the CPC has maintained close and friendly relations with Nepal’s major political parties, playing an active role in enhancing political trust, deepening mutual understanding in governance, promoting practical cooperation and consolidating traditional friendship between the two countries.”
Commenting on the mission of the CPC delegation to Nepal, Zhao Lijian said the CPC delegation “aims to exchange with the Nepalese side on issues of common concern such as epidemic prevention and control, governance, cooperation and development, and to deepen communication and cooperation between Chinese and Nepalese political parties.”
Zhao added that the CPC adheres to “the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and other party discipline relations.”
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