China’s periphery diplomacy and Nepal
Yuba Nath Lamsal
The phenomenal rise of China as a global power has been a
subject of intense debate and discussion among scholars and alike in the world,
which has stirred both positive as well as negative reactions. Some have taken
China’s rise as a threat while others appreciate China’s global presence and
role. Beijing’s assertiveness in the international arena is being tipped as a
positive trend towards challenging the unipolar state of the world politics.
The United States and its allies appear to be a bit skeptic
and paranoid by China’s rise because Beijing’s growing clouts has already
challenged the global hegemony of the Western powers. The Anglo-American power
bloc that has been dominant in global power politics for the last two centuries
is now busy in adopting a common and collective approach to counter and weaken China
economically, strategically and militarily. But the rest of the world is
euphoric and enthusiastic by China’s growth, which is being viewed as a good development
for global balance of power.
China has always been a power to reckon with, albeit a brief
period prior to the 1949 revolution. The world knew China by the name of
sleeping dragon or the Middle Kingdom. There is an old saying ‘if the sleeping
dragon (China) wakes up or wags its tail, the world trembles’. This tells China’s role and impression in the
world. The sleeping tiger is an inference that China is a peaceful power and it
reacts with fierce force only when it was provoked. This inference is still
valid for China as Beijing is always in pursuit of peace and cooperation
worldwide and its growth and rise are for purely peaceful purpose.
Being a world power, every development and event that takes
place within China creates ripples worldwide. But never has there been any kind
of apprehension of China’s rise and its growing prowess in the neighborhood.
Instead, neighbors have always taken China’s growth with ease as an opportunity
rather than threat, except in the condition when some regimes in Asia are
propped up and instigated to whip up anti-China activities. China is,
therefore, in the global focal point of strategic analysis everywhere in the
world including in the neighborhood especially after new leadership headed by
Xi Jinping assumed power.
China has undergone three important shifts and developments
after the founding the People’s Republic of China in 1949. These three
important shifts and developments include: 1.
the founding of the PRC itself through a revolution under the banner of
the Communist Party of China led by Mao Zedong in 1949, 2.reforms and opening
up initiated in 1978 by Deng Xiaoping and 3. Xi Jinping coming to power with
the resolve to pursue reforms with more vigor and rejuvenate China and
establish Chinese values worldwide. With this vision, President XI has proposed
the idea of Chinese Dream , which aims to rejuvenate Chinese nations at home
and create a new world order marked by peace, good neighborliness, cooperation
and common approach for human safety and prosperity. The Chinese Dream and the foreign
policy approach that new leadership has adopted in Beijing have stirred
worldwide debate. And Nepal can also not be an exception.
With China’s phenomenal growth and rise, there has been much
curiosity as to what would be its impact and fallout in Nepal. There is both
enthusiasm and eagerness what exactly is the Chinese new foreign policy
especially in its neighborhood. Since Nepal is a close neighbor which shares
over 1400 km border with China, it is natural for Nepalese intelligentsia to be
eager to know what impact the new Chinese policy would have on Nepal. It is against
this background, Nepal Council of World Affairs, a think tank on foreign and
strategic issues, organized a talk programme last week, in which Chinese
Ambassador to Nepal Wu Chuntai was invited to dwell at length on the present
state of relations between Nepal and China and their future prospects.
In the talk programme, Ambassador Wu spoke highly of
Nepal-China relations and said that Beijing is willing to upgrade relationship with Nepal to the level of strategic
partnership. Amidst Nepal’s top-notched scholars and academics, Ambassador Wu
said that Nepal and China are already enjoying the best of relations and these
bonds would be further nurtured and developed in the days to come for mutual
benefit of both the countries and the peoples. Ambassador Wu also touched upon
all facets and features of relationship and cooperation between Nepal and China
right from the historical perspective, which was well appreciated by the
participants. The programme was a part of the lecture series that the Council
has been organizing on various subjects and issues mostly on foreign policy, international
relations and strategic issues. It was an appropriate forum that was best
utilized by Ambassador Wu to brief and share with Nepali academics on China’s
foreign policy priorities accorded by the new Chinese leadership.
There is no shade of doubt that Nepal and China have
friendliest relations throughout the history without any problem and issues. But
there is still no room for complacency and both the countries need to make
their extra efforts for further deepening their relations and exploring and
expanding more areas of mutual cooperation. This is more particularly for Nepal
that has to try to take maximum benefit from the miraculous growth of its
closest neighbor. It is indeed a matter of pride for Nepal that its closest neighbor,
which has always been cooperative and friendly, has become economic superpower.
Nepal needs to work sincerely to ensure that China’s rise is translated into
opportunity for our development.
Perhaps this is the areas in which Ambassador has hinted in
the talk programme. According to Ambassador Wu, China wants to have strategic partnership
with Nepal. But the strategic partnership, as it is often misunderstood by
some, is not and should not be any kind of military or security arrangement.
And it should not be taken and understood in that way. Nepal is a country that
is peaceful and had adopted non-alignment policy. It is always opposed to any
kind of military pact and war. Nepal wants relations with all countries and expects
cooperation for peace and development at home and also abroad. Thus, the
strategic partnership with China is purely and entirely for economic
cooperation between these two countries. Perhaps, China, too, understands
Nepal’s desire and its vulnerability.
In other words, it is China’s desire to help Nepal’s
economic development. There are many areas in which China is desirous and can
help for Nepal’s development. Nepal is currently seeking desperately foreign
invest in its infrastructure development especially in hydropower which
requires huge fund. Nepal has tremendous possibility of hydropower development
and it can leap forward in economic development if the hydropower potentials
are duly harnessed. However, it has so far not been able to do so in the
absence of necessary fund. China may step into this field which may transform
Nepal from a poor country to a moderately developed one. Tourism is yet another
area in which Nepal and China can cooperate. Both countries have tremendous
prospect for tourism growth and development. China has already shown interest
in helping Nepal’s tourism.
There were days when Nepal and China faced geographical
barrier for promoting bilateral cooperation to the best of their expectation as
the Himalayas stood tall between these two countries as a border. Despite
barrier, Nepal and China have been making their best efforts for having best of
heir relations. As a result, contacts
and bilateral relations had been established between Nepal and China right from the ancient time. The bilateral relations
that exist between these two Asian neighbors are not new phenomenon but existed
since time immemorial. In fact, Nepal and China have long history of political,
social and cultural bonds and contacts that date back to as early as the time
of Nepal’s Lichhivi period and even before.
With the scientific and technological advancements and innovations,
these barriers are being slowly overcome to a great extent. The Himalaya is no
longer a barrier between these two countries but a great connecting point as
well as symbol of good neighborly relationship. With this fact in mind, China
and Nepal are now effortful in ensuring that their relations are beneficial to
the peoples of both countries in practical terms as well as it contributes to
regional peace. China seems to be more serious on this issue as Beijing wants
its prosperity also benefits its neighbors. China is aware that its prosperity
will be sustainable and meaningful only when there is peace and prosperity
within neighborhood as well.
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