Nepal should address China's concern

Yuba Nath Lamsal

After Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal stepped down last week, China's
foreign ministry spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu responded to new political
developments in Nepal saying ' China hopes that political parties in Nepal
will seek consensus through dialogue'. Ma added, 'China values the
friendship and cooperation between the two countries in accordance with the
Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence'. The quick response of the northern
neighbour to Nepal's unfolding political developments exemplifies high
priority China attaches to its relations with the Himalayan Republic.

Soon after this, a high level delegation of China led by special
representative of President Hu Jintao arrived in Kathmandu for a three-day
good-will visit. The delegation led by Zhou Yongkang, a member of the
Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China
(CPC) Central Committee and also secretary of the Commission for Political
and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, held talks with Nepali
leaders and officials during which China expressed its desire of peace,
stability and prosperity in Nepal and also conveyed its willingness to build
stronger partnership in Nepal's development.

The tone and tenor with which Zhou's delegation spoke with Nepali leaders
and officials tells a lot on issues pertaining to bilateral relations and
cooperation between the two countries and Beijing's expectations with
perception about Nepal. Over the last few years especially after 2006, China
has felt its position a little bit shaky in Nepal. This is because
anti-China activities have escalated over the last few years in Nepal. The
activities and developments in Nepal for the last couple of years have given
impressions that the parties in power in Nepal are not sensitive enough
towards the concerns of China.

Until 2006, China regarded monarchy as a traditional and permanent friend in
Nepal and accordingly adopted its policy. With the abolition of monarchy,
China felt that it lost a permanent and trustworthy friend, although Beijing
had equally good and friendly relations with all major political forces and
parties in Nepal. China is, now, in search of a strong, trustworthy and
permanent friend in Nepal upon which Beijing can fully trust. But the
pro-India tilt of some major parties of Nepal specially the Nepali Congress
and CPN-UML has made China more susceptible and is not fully assured that
its interests would be best served in Nepal. Moreover, the rise of Madhesi
parties in Nepali politics, which are the creation of New Delhi, is yet
another source of irritation for China. It is being felt that India is
pushing its agenda in Nepal through the Madhesi parties. India wants to
control Nepal's politics, foreign and defence policy directly through
Madhesi parties and some of its lackeys within the Nepali Congress and the
CPN-UML and also a section of the UCPN-Maoist. In such an eventuality, Nepal
may be a source of China's security threat as foreigners would use Nepal as
their launch pad to instigate anti-China activities.

China's main concern in Nepal is Tibet's security and wants to ensure that
there would not be any kind of activities that may harm China's interest.
Although Nepal has expressed its one-China policy and it has repeatedly
expressed commitment not to allow anti-China activities in its territory,
the reality is not what the Government of Nepal has preached in public. The
anti-China activities have frequently taken place in Nepal ostensibly
orchestrated by Nepal's southern neighbour and some western countries. The
way anti-China activities are growing in Nepal in the name of 'Free Tibet
Movement' China is not fully assured of its security from Nepal. China's
security is not threatened from Nepal but from other countries that have
been waging proxy war against China and using some Tibetan renegades and are
instigating them to create trouble in Tibet and Xinjiang of China. In this,
the sincerity of some Nepali parties is in question because they have
adopted double standard on this issue. While in public, they advocate '
one-China policy' while clandestinely they are suspected to have
collaborated with India and western countries in triggering violence and
trouble in by instigating. This is because of their pro-India-tilt and
anti-communist policy. These parties have failed in the good neighbourly
test of China. Chins is, therefore, weighing option on which power and force
it can depend on. Now China is testing the new power- the UCPN-Maoist. But
Beijing is still not fully assured of Maoists, as well, because of its
vacillation on domestic as well as foreign policy.

China's trust on the Maoists is not its ideological affinity. Despite the
UCPN-M adopting Maoism as its guiding political doctrine, the Maoists of
Nepal and China have fundamentally ideological differences. The Maoists do
not regard China as a communist country and their model. Instead, Nepali
Maoists claim that China had long ago deviated from the communist principle
and Mao's ideology but adopted capitalism. The Deng Xiaoping's reforms
beginning in 1978 is what the Maoists dub as a departure from
Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. China, too, never supported Maoists during the ten
years of insurgency. Reacting to activities of Maoists in Nepal, China had
once said ' some people are carrying out terrorist activities in Nepal in
the name of our Chairman Mao'. In fact, there was no link and relation
between Nepal's Maoists and China in the past. They began to develop
relations only after the Maoists entered into the peace process in 2006.

Against this background, a 60 member team led by Zhou visited Nepal. The
visit took place at a time when Nepal was in the process of electing a new
prime minister following the resignation of Premier Khanal. The timing of
the visit of such a high-level Chinese delegation has given rise to many
speculations for some people and media on China's activism in Nepal. So far
as the timing of the visit is concerned, it had been scheduled long ago.
There is no ill intention at all on the part of China regarding this visit,
which was made clear by the members of delegation. The delegation repeatedly
and vocally spoke of China's intention that it wants to see peace, stability
and prosperity in Nepal, for which Beijing is willing to make meaningful and
constructive contribution.

But one thing is clear that China is a bit susceptible of activities and
highhandedness of some countries in Nepal mainly India. This susceptibility
is valid because India has now entered into strategic and military alliance
with the United States purportedly to contain and encircle China. Beijing's
fear is that since Nepal has open border with India, the Himalayan republic
may be misused against China's security interest. Since India has entered
into anti-China alliance, New Delhi's over activism and interference in
Nepal has definitely made China sensitive and extra cautious. As the only
superpower is propping South Asia's regional hegemonic power to flex its
muscle, many suspect that Nepal's sovereignty and territorial integrity may
be in danger. The way India is directly interfering in Nepal's internal
affairs, this suspicion has validity. China, too, may have little bit
worried about this situation.

The overtures of Chinese officials and leaders on Nepal in recent years have
indicated China's worries on the state of Nepal. Chinese officials and
leaders have often made their remarks public that Beijing would not tolerate
if Nepal's sovereignty and territorial integrity is in danger. This is a
clear indication that China may not remain a mute spectator in such an
eventuality.

China wants to come in a huge way to Nepal not for interference but for
development and cooperation. A Chinese non-governmental organization has
shown interest to invest a huge fund in Lumbini with the objective of
developing the birth place of Lord Buddha into an international Buddhist
hub. Similarly, Nepal and China have recently signed two agreements on
cooperation in security sector strengthening and also for the development of
Nepal's infrastructure including hydro-power project.

Now Nepal has to adopt wise, mature and pragmatic policy so that more
Chinese cooperation would be forthcoming. Nepal is in need of huge foreign
investment especially for its infrastructure development and hydro-power
generation. China has shown keen interest in both the areas. China has
already linked Lhasa with the rest of the country by a fast-speed railway
network. Beijing is planning to extend this network to Nepal border of Khasa
in near future for which work is already underway. If Nepal comes up with
pragmatic proposal, China may be interested to extend this railway link
further south as far as Lumbini via Kathmandu. Once this railways is
constructed, it will completely change the face of Nepal.

However, Nepal's wavering foreign policy and pro-India tilt of some
political parties have made some of our neighbours especially China a bit
apprehensive. Even if China comes up with selfless interest of Nepal's
development, unnecessary controversy is created in Nepali media-most of
which are either directly funded or being supported through backdoor
channels by India. These elements, at the behest of India, are trying to
create controversy on the proposal of Lumbini Recovery project, which a
Chinese non-governmental organization has pledged to take up, with the
objective of scuttling this mega project.

The problem lies not with the foreigners but with ourselves including our
political parties and leaders. Some of our parties and leaders do not seem
to be acting on their own but follow diktats from foreigners mainly New
Delhi. This reflects the political and intellectual liquidation of our
leaders. Since foreigners dictates on domestic policy, it is reflected in
the foreign policy front as well. It is felt that our foreign policy is also
being dictated by others. As a result, we are slowly losing our credibility
in the international community.

Despite China's good intention of helping Nepal's development, Nepali
parties are often playing India card against China. History is witness that
India has always been trying to block Nepal's democratization process,
economic development, peace and stability. There are two purposes for
India's not allowing peace, stability and development in Nepal. One is to
create chaos and instability so that it would be easy for New Delhi to fish
in troubled water and consolidate its control and influence over Nepal's
political and internal affairs. The other purpose is to checkmate China and
create trouble in Tibet and Xinjiang through Nepal with the objective of
keeping Beijing occupied in its internal conflict and preventing China's
outward advance. If Nepal becomes stable, strong and prosperous, it may
stand against India's ill-design, which India knows very well. But Nepal's
parties have either not understood this or they are doing it deliberately in
collaboration with New Delhi. Playing one country's card against the other
would not be in the interest of Nepal because of its location.

China is a global power and Nepal can extract benefit from China's
prosperity. China is willing to share its experience for the development of
Nepal. Thus, Nepal should be able to take this benefit. But dancing to the
tune of India would not serve this interest of Nepal. As we are located in a
vital strategic point, it would be in the interest of Nepal to strictly
maintain independence in the conduct of our foreign policy and win trust of
China.