Top Chinese official continues talks, tries to heal rift within Nepal’s ruling party

A top Chinese official met leaders of a faction of the Nepal Communist Party opposed to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Monday even as Beijing called on the leadership in Kathmandu to manage differences and ensure political stability.

Guo Yezhou, vice minister of the international department of the central committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), who arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday afternoon, met separately with former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” and Madhav Kumar Nepal, both rivals of Oli in the ruling party.

The meetings came a day after Guo held talks with President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Oli as part of China’s efforts to broker a rapprochement between the two factions of the Nepal Communist Party, which has been split by Oli’s decision to dissolve Parliament and call fresh elections next year.

Prachanda’s office said the meeting focused on the political situation, especially the aftermath of the dissolution of Parliament by Oli and unity between the factions of the Nepal Communist Party, according to reports in the Nepalese media.

The Chinese delegation urged Prachanda and Nepal to maintain unity within the ruling party, the media reports said. The leaders reportedly told the Chinese delegation that a lot would depend on Oli’s stance, including whether he would be willing to withdraw the dissolution of the House of Representatives.

The Chinese officials also met former Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal and Speaker Agni Sapkota, and will hold talks with Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday.

The Indian side has maintained a studied silence on the visit by a four-member Chinese delegation led by Guo, seen as an old South Asia hand, with people familiar with developments saying on condition of anonymity that New Delhi has decided not to play any role in addressing the political uncertainty in Kathmandu.

The external affairs ministry has already said that Oli’s actions were an internal matter and the situation should be handled in line with Nepal’s democratic processes.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a regular news briefing that China, as Nepal’s “friend and close neighbour”, hopes that the relevant parties in Kathmandu “can take into account the national interests and the big picture, properly manage internal differences and commit themselves to political stability”.

He was responding to a question on whether the Chinese delegation will try to promote reconciliation between the factions in the Nepal Communist Party. Asked about the purpose of Guo’s visit, Zhao said the Communist Party of China has “maintained close and friendly exchanges” with major political parties of Nepal for a long time, and this has “played a positive role in enhancing political mutual trust, deepening mutual learning of state governance, promoting cooperation, and consolidating traditional friendship”.

Noting that 2020 marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Nepal, Zhao said the Chinese delegation’s visit to Kathmandu is aimed at exchanging views on issues of mutual interest and strengthening cooperation between political parties of the two countries.

The Communist Party of China adheres to “non-interference in each other’s internal affairs” in inter-party relations, and stands ready to work with Nepal’s political parties to promote strategic cooperative partnership for the development of the two countries, he added.

Guo was despatched to Nepal after Chinese ambassador Hou Yanqi didn’t have much success in efforts to engineer a patch up between Oli and Prachanda.