KATHMANDU: US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu has alleged China for unnecessarily hyping the issue of the State Partnership Program (SPP) in Nepal.

He also alleged what he said “Nepal’s big neighbor” for playing a role in trying to thwart the ratification of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement in Nepal.

In an interaction with the Nepali community in Dallas, the United States, Lu said Nepal’s “big neighbor” has unnecessarily hyped the issue of the SPP in Nepal.

“Let me be very clear that there is no relation between SPP and MCC,” he said.

During the State Department’s first-ever direct discussion with Nepali expatriates in the United States, Lu claimed that the SPP was only a support program to the army.

In an interaction with representatives of the Nepali community in Dallas, USA, Assistant Secretary Lu said without naming the country, “We all are aware of who made futile attempts to fail the MCC in Nepal. And, to mention, it is Nepal’s biggest neighbor.”

Lu said the “big neighbor” intends to maintain its monopoly in Nepal.

It should be recalled that the United States and China were engaged in allegations before Nepal ratified MCC.

The US State Department had at the time blamed China for delaying the passage of the MCC, while the Chinese Foreign Ministry had warned the US not to “forcefully impose any MCC-like aid on Nepal and would retaliate if imposed.”

The agreement with the MCC was passed by a majority in the Nepalese parliament soon after the US-China rhetoric.

Lu visited Nepal last November while negotiating an agreement with the MCC.

Leaders in Kathmandu said that Lu, who has been in constant touch with Nepali leaders, had telephoned the leaders of Nepal’s ruling and opposition parties in the second week of February and pressured them to reconsider bilateral relations with Nepal if the MCC agreement was not ratified.

The United States has been deepening bilateral ties with Nepal lately.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is also scheduled to visit the United States soon.

Likewise, Chief of Army Staff Prabhuram Sharma is also visiting the US soon.

In this context, the US State Department interacted with Nepali representatives, in which about two dozen Nepalis participated.