KATHMANDU: A high-level Chinese delegation led by a vice minister of the Chinese Communist Party arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday to “take stock” of the political situation in Nepal after the dissolution of Parliament and the subsequent division of the ruling. Communist Party of Nepal, according to a media report.
Although no specific details on the visit schedule are available, the four-member delegation, led by the Vice Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Guo Yezhou, will hold high-level talks during their stay in Kathmandu. The newspaper My Republica reported, citing senior PNC leaders.
Citing a diplomatic source, he said that the visit aims to “take stock of the evolution of the political situation in Nepal after the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the subsequent division of the ruling Nepal Communist Party in the middle of an already deepened intraparty gap “.
Nepal plunged into a political crisis last Sunday after embattled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, known for his pro-Beijing leanings, in a surprise move, recommended dissolving the 275-member House, amid a power struggle. with former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Prachanda ‘.
Acting on the recommendation of the prime minister, President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the Chamber on the same day and announced new elections on April 30 and May 10, prompting protests from a large part of the CPN led by Prachanda, also a co-chair of the party. ruler. .
Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu and the Foreign Ministry are silent on Guo’s visit, according to the report.
Earlier this week, the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, had communicated about Guo’s visit to Kathmandu during his meetings with senior PNC leaders of the factions led by Prachanda and Oli.
Vice Minister Guo is scheduled to hold meetings with the leaders of both factions.
Beijing seems concerned about Oli’s decision to dissolve the House of Representatives and the evolution of the political situation that saw a vertical split in the NCP. Shortly after the dissolution of the Chamber, the Chinese ambassador accelerated her meetings with the main political leaders in Nepal.
Hou has already met with President Bhandari, PNC top leaders Prachanda and Madhav Kumar Nepal, former House Speakers Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Barsha Man Pun, among others.
This is not the first time that China has intervened in Nepal’s internal affairs at a time of crisis.
In May, Hou held separate meetings with the president, prime minister and other senior leaders of the CPN, including Prachanda, when Oli faced increasing pressure to resign.
In July, he met again with several senior leaders, including the President, Prime Minister, Prachanda, Madhav Kumar Nepal, and Jhala Nath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam to save the Oli government.
Several political party leaders had described the series of meetings of the Chinese envoy with the leaders of the ruling party as interference in the internal political affairs of Nepal.
Dozens of student activists carrying banners with anti-China slogans had organized a rally in front of the Chinese embassy here to protest Hou’s interference in Nepal’s internal affairs.
China’s political profile in Nepal has been rising in recent years with billions of dollars in investments under Beijing’s multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including the construction of the Transhimalayan Multidimensional Connectivity Network.
In addition to investments, China’s ambassador to Nepal, Hou, has gone to great lengths to gain support for Oli.
The CCP and the PCN regularly participated in training programs. In September last year, the NCP had even organized a symposium, inviting some CCP leaders to Kathmandu to train Nepalese leaders on Xi Jinping’s thinking ahead of the Chinese president’s first visit to Nepal, according to a Kathmandu Post report. .
In a cautious reaction to rapid political developments in Nepal, India said on Thursday that it was an “internal matter” of the neighboring nation and that it was the country that should decide according to its democratic processes.
“We have noted the recent political developments in Nepal. These are internal matters that Nepal must decide according to its democratic processes,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava in New Delhi.
“As a neighbor and supporter, India will continue to support Nepal and its people to advance on the path of peace, prosperity and development,” he said.
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