By Nirmal P. Acharya Amid the uproar over the World Cup, China abruptly and quietly lifted strict three-year-long containment policies for COVID-19. This move is of great significance to Nepal-China relations, as President Xi made a historic visit to Nepal just before the outbreak of the virus in October 2019. It was during this visit that the leaders of our two countries jointly drew a new blueprint for Nepal-China relations, while Xi said, “A blueprint must be drawn to the end.”   The outbreak of COVID-19 brought chaos to the world, compelling countries and territories around the world to enforce lockdowns of varying stringency in response to the pandemic, including Nepal. However, China’s lockdown was particularly severe, lasting for three years. Therefore, stalling the implementation of the new blueprint for Nepal-China relations. Now that China has suddenly lifted its lockdown policy, the new blueprint for Nepal-China relations drawn just before the outbreak of COVID-19 is revealed in the darkness of Kathmandu. Recently a video link of the banquet welcoming President Xi on October 13, 2019, surfaced in social media and after reviewing it again, I feel deeply optimistic about the prospect of Nepal-China relations. Essentially, President Xi has been re-elected at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and will continue to lead China. Nepal's politicians who also worked with President Xi to draw the new blueprint for Nepal-China relations in 2019 are still in the driver’s seat. We firmly believe that they have a strong will and ability to implement the new blueprint for China-Nepal relations, which they drew together three years ago. Nevertheless, the MCC is already in the Kathmandu booth waiting for this new blueprint. As the world’s sole hegemon, the US has predominantly declared many times that it will block and thwart all Chinese actions. Except, of course, only when the US acknowledges. Unfortunately, the new blueprint for Nepal-China relations was drawn up by the leaders of Nepal and China in Kathmandu in 2019 and has not been submitted to the US for approval since then, so it is 100% on the list of targets for the US to block and frustrate. To disrupt the new blueprint of Nepal-China relations, the MCC is in good use because it is neither governed and audited by the Nepalese government nor bounded by Nepalese laws. The architects of the MCC knew from the outset that they would use the MCC to harm Nepal’s national interests, otherwise, they would not have had to deliberately dictate and coerce Nepal into agreeing to the extraterritorial status of the project. Certainly, China has decisively lifted the containment policy that has been in place for three years and thus the historical process of advancing the new blueprint for Nepal-China relations is about to begin. By all means, the MCC has also been activated invisibly, aiming at the new blueprint of Nepal-China relations.  When the “New blueprint for Nepal-China relations” turned around, it happened to form a mutual gaze with the MCC.