Nepal-China ties get a ‘happy’ boost with new leftist PM, but India and US wary
- Nepal’s previous government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba was seen to be pursuing stronger ties with India and the US
- Analysts also expect the new government to expedite and prioritise Belt and Road Initiative projects in Nepal
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, more popularly known as Prachanda – meaning fearless – ditched his alliance partner the Nepali Congress (NC) to install a communist-led government in Kathmandu with rival KP Sharma Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist).
Oli, once labelled a “pro-China” leader by Chinese tabloids, has been fiercely critical of New Delhi and is seen to favour a greater role for Beijing in Kathmandu. Prachanda has called for “equal ties” with both China and India, instead of insisting on a “special relationship” with Delhi as Nepali politicians have done in the past.
While there are questions surrounding the new alliance’s stability – Prachanda and Oli had a public falling out just last year – the new government will enjoy a minimum of two years in power if it establishes an electoral majority in parliament, under Nepal’s constitution.
Before Prachanda and Oli fell out, Chinese officials had made attempts to push both leaders to reconcile their differences but failed.
Analysts say the new political arrangement in the strategically located Himalayan country is likely to make Beijing “thrilled”, while Delhi and Washington are left squirming in their seats as the fate of their future ties with Kathmandu look more uncertain.