Recently, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanwi met the government officials and political leaders of Nepal. Considering Nepal’s internal politics, the meeting sparked questions regarding Beijing’s hand in Kathmandu’s politics.
The Chinese ambassador to Nepal had met the President Bidya Bhandari and senior Nepal Communist Party leader Madhav Kumar Nepal.
The Kathmandu post had reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted at the President’s Office was not aware of this meeting. The sole responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to brief the President on meetings with foreign ambassadors or dignitaries.
The Kathmandu post also reported that officials in the Foreign Ministry have said that the President’s Office has been violating the diplomatic code of conduct repeatedly.
It is speculated that they discussed the ongoing conflict within the ruling party.
Deputy Chief of the Foreign Relations Department said, “I don’t have details about the meeting between Nepal and Ambassador Hou but as far as I understand Chinese protocol, the Chinese begin meeting too ranking officials and gradually come down to other officials.”
Regarding the recent meeting, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Zhang Si said, “The embassy keeps good relationships with Nepali leaders and is ready to exchange views on issues of common interest at any convenient time.”
When most countries opposed the Chinese security law regarding Hong Kong, Nepal voted in favour of the law.
Although it is projected that the meeting was held in good spirits, there are rumours saying that Beijing is planning to expand its political doctrine to Nepal.
Source: ANI