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‘Nepal tricked China, now turned to India’
BEIJING: Nepal will lose out by putting its relations with China on the backburner and returning to India’s fold of influence, the Chinese state media has warned,
BEIJING: Nepal will lose out by putting its relations with China on the backburner and returning to India’s fold of influence, the Chinese state media has warned, adding that “tricking” Beijing will stall Kathmandu’s development.
The recent visit of Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” to India was closely followed by the Chinese state media, which clearly looked for signs that New Delhi-Kathmandu ties were on the mend following a period of chill.
Signs of a turnaround in the relations were easily detectable during Prachand’a visit and meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, according to two separate opinion pieces in the nationalistic tabloid Global Times. And this means Beijing is no longer a foreign policy priority for Kathmandu, the articles said.
The apparent postponement of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Nepal in October hasn’t really helped stop the speculation.
“When Prachanda received Modi’s invitation and kickstarted a turning point in bilateral ties with India, concerns and warnings made by Nepal’s former prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli over the possibility that agreements signed between Kathmandu and Beijing might not be carried out in a timely manner began to widely spread. Prachanda had no other options except sending an envoy to China to explain,” wrote Xu Liang, executive director of the Indian Studies Center from Beijing International Studies University.
“It seems that the relationship between Nepal and China stalled abruptly, and a visit by Chinese leaders to Nepal has allegedly been suspended - an unprecedented situation,” Xu said.
“It looks like the bilateral relationship between China and Nepal has suddenly turned fragile and sensitive,” Xu wrote.
