KATHMANDU: Political activity is ramping up as Prime Minister KP Oli’s upcoming visit to China approaches.
Diplomats from neighboring and influential countries have become increasingly active, particularly amid ongoing disagreements regarding the advancement of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which Nepal signed in 2017.
The ruling Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML have yet to reach a consensus on how to proceed with the BRI.
The Nepali Congress party has stated that any advancement of the BRI should be treated exclusively as a grant.
In this context, both political and diplomatic activities have intensified as Prime Minister Oli aims to finalize key issues before his departure for China in the first week of December.
On Tuesday morning, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava met with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba at the latter’s residence in Budhanilkantha.
Today’s meeting followed a lengthy discussion between Prime Minister Oli and President Deuba in Baluwatar on Monday night, which reportedly covered topics such as the BRI, the by-elections held on December 1, and potential changes within the Council of Ministers.
The day after the discussions between the two top leaders, the Indian ambassador engaged in extensive talks with President Deuba; however, the specifics of their conversation have not been disclosed.
Notably, India has yet to invite KP Oli, who assumed the prime ministership for the fourth time.
Traditionally, new Nepali prime ministers have made their first visit to India.
However, India has refrained from extending an invitation to PM Oli, particularly following the formation of the Nepali Congress-UML alliance that brought him to power against his initial expectations.
In response, Nepal has proactively initiated discussions with China, which has extended an invitation for PM Oli to visit. Currently, PM Oli is working to ensure that his trip to China yields meaningful results.
On Monday, he discussed various aspects of this visit with Nepali Congress President Deuba, and the two leaders are expected to continue their dialogue on Tuesday evening.
The ruling parties are still determining the agenda for Prime Minister Oli’s trip to China.
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