BY SHASHI MALLA
Nepal cultivated relations with China since time immemorial. These were interrupted after 1905 during the time of China’s domestic turmoil after the fall of the imperial dynasty, but reestablished in 1955 in the modern era. Whether then or now, the relations can be considered very special.
At the end of the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Nepal, a joint statement highlighted that it “marked the beginning of a new era in Nepal-China relations and served as an important milestone in the history of friendly cooperation.”
The high watermark was reached when Xi emphasized in his banquet address: “We will develop a multi-dimensional trans-Himalayan connectivity network and help Nepal to realize its dream to transform itself from a landlocked country to land-linked country.” At the same time, this will not only just serve the two countries, but the entire South Asian region.
The state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Nepal is, therefore, noteworthy from multiple standpoints:
• A Chinese head of state has visited after a long intermission of 23 years, although Nepal is of strategic geo-political importance to China in the modern era, and although it is one of the few countries in the periphery that has historic ties to the ‘Middle Kingdom’.
• The visit is, therefore, of historical significance since President Xi with his august presence as the supreme leader of a rising super power has reiterated China’s national interest in Nepal’s sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity.
• Xi has singlehandedly upgraded the historical relations between the two countries to a modern 21st century ‘strategic partnership’: “It is important that we adopt a strategic and long-term perspective and draw up a blueprint for our bilateral relationship to take it to a new height in this new era”.
• With China undertaking to accelerate the construction of infrastructure in roads and railways between the Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal, the Himalaya is no longer an obstructing barrier and an impenetrable wall. Nepal will now develop sustainably to act as a bridge between the two great Asian civilizations. It will, therefore, shed its backward moniker of being ‘land-locked’. Our domestic leadership will be of crucial importance in playing this important role.
• This entails that our political leaders must finally grow up. China does expect that our leaders will be of independent thinking, not lackeys of this or that power, not in the pockets of this or that state, and definite not a fifth columnist, Quisling, a ‘snake in the grass’ or a KaziLhendupDorji of Sikkim.
• Xi and other Chinese leaders are not interested in Nepali leaders’ ideology, but that they sincerely implement the projects granted to the Nepali people and not that to a single political party and its leaders: “to uplift the living standard of [the entire] Nepali people.”
The key to successfully implement Chinese aided development projects is dedicated leadership. Till now the Nepalese people have been very patient with the acute failure of political leaders to meet the challenges of the modern era. All around the world – whether in Chile, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan and elsewhere – we are seeing spontaneous uprisings because of a lack of basic needs in daily life: food, housing, education and health on the one hand, and on the other leaders’ corrupt practices, self dealing, as well as, lack of transparency and accountability. The peoples’ growing impatience is palpable, but the leaders seem to be still quite impervious.
In a keynote interview to The Kathmandu Post (October 22, 2019), the government’s foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali claimed that the Sino-Nepalese ‘strategic partnership’ is for achieving development and prosperity, but the Oli government has to start by putting its house in order.
• This also means that Nepal’s leaders must finally cease to play this or that card, and also stop from leaning to this or that side. Both China and India must be our co-equals in friendship, both must be treated as our big brothers without fear or favour. We must learn from both, but take our own autonomous path.We can unabashedly declare that we remainuncompromisingly within the ‘Sino-Indian sphere of influence’.
• No other country on earth is so uniquely situated to be able to learn from two great nations. But then Nepal is the birthplace of Gautama Siddhartha, the “Enlightened One’ who taught the world how to tread the ‘Middle Path’.
• Xi has, therefore, initiated the new “Spirit of Kathmandu” which can be invoked to re-vitalize first, Sino-Nepalese relations on a modern footing, and second, rejuvenate our internal political, economic, social and cultural mutual cooperation taking advantage of China’s largesse.
The writer can be reached at: shashipbmalla@hotmail.com
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