Kathmandu: Two highly important and politically significant developments took place within a short span of mere two weeks that went largely ignored deliberately or otherwise in this country

However, the overly intelligent Indo-pendent Nepali media made it a point either to ignore these two important statements coming as it did from some “powerful” quarters or at best preferred to provide little importance to it. It could have been that these two expressions were not of their “political” liking.

Nevertheless, the message was pretty meaningful both in content and nature.

The first message came from none less than an internationally acclaimed Chinese scholar Professor Wang Khongwe, who is associated with the Institute of Asian Pacific Studies based in Beijing and is considered to be a Nepal expert wherein he “reminded” all and sundry near and far that in case Nepal’s sovereignty came under attack from any quarter(s), China will not “tolerate” and would be forced to resort to do the needful in order to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this country.

In an interview granted to a Nepali weekly, the Chinese scholar said that his country remains obliged to follow to what marshal Chen Yi-the then deputy foreign minister of China said of Nepal as back as in 1962.

“Any attack on Nepal will be construed by China as a war against her”, Marshal Chen Yi had said then, to recall.

“Marshal Che Yi’s expressions are still valid”, said the Chinese scholar.

During the course of the said interview Prof. Khongwe abundantly made it clear that his country was well aware of the forces that are in play in Nepal and that his country was also in knowledge of what was happening here against his own country.

“We have been watching all these events carefully and understand the political maneuverings being conducted against China, however, if they-read the extraneous forces-exceed the limits we will contain those faulty moves aimed against China within no time”, is what the Chinese scholar declared.

“We are in knowledge that after India, Nepal has the largest base which would want to destabilize China”, added the Chinese academician.

This is not all.

Professor Wang who does not hide that his country has just begun to “understand” the Maoists has all the praise for the late monarch King Birendra. According to him, his country had positive relations with all the monarchs in Nepal provided they did not allow anti-China activities in Nepal.

“This was the basis of Chinese relations with the Nepali Kings in the past”, Professor Wang gleefully declares.

Look how he describes late King Birendra who was under tremendous pressure during the first popular movement of 1990.

“During this movement (read 1990-ed), one foreign country even tried to rope king Birendra into signing a suicidal agreement that could jeopardize the sovereignty of Nepal. However, he did not surrender to foreign power. King Birendra sagaciously decided to reach an agreement with domestic forces rather than that foreign one”.

Perhaps this abundantly explains as to how much love and honor this Chinese scholar possesses for the late Monarch.

In effect, Chinese scholar’s views are not that of the Chinese official establishment, he has spoken on his own.

However, less than a week or so of Professor Wang’s political bombshell published in a Nepali weekly, yet another political explosive has been detonated by none less than the Chinese Ambassador Zheng Xiangling who while inaugurating a Chinese photo exhibition in Bhairahawa last weekend said three remarkable things that have ample political connotation underneath his message.

Ambassador Xiangling’s message are definitely official version indeed.

Firstly, Ambassador Xiangling says “Nepal’s political matters are an internal affair of Nepal”.

Secondly, Ambassador in the same breathe declares that “Nepalese themselves should solve it”.

Thirdly, the Chinese authority says “China is Nepal’s reliable neighbor”.

And finally, he goes on to say that “China believes that Nepal, being a sovereign country, has the right to deal all its problems on its own”.

Now analyzing the expressions of the Chinese Ambassador, what come to the surface is that China is now watching the unfolding political events in Nepal but is also mindful of which “forces” were meddling unnecessarily in Nepal’s purely “internal affairs”. The Chinese indication is abundantly clear to those who have been closely watching Nepal events of late.

China is a reliable neighbor of Nepal, says the Chinese envoy. In saying so he is perhaps indicating “others” in the neighborhood” to act and behave like how China treats Nepal. The message lay here.

In saying so the Chinese envoy wants that Nepal must be treated as a sovereign nation and that any hanky-panky in treating Nepal would not be taken in good taste by the Chinese establishment.

Above all, the Chine Ambassador wishes all the interested quarters who have been apparently meddling in Nepali affairs that since Nepal was a sovereign country and thus Nepal must be allowed to sort out its issues and problems on its own.

The second strong message from China lay here. But the moot question is that how China could control the increasing “dictates” that is being administered to Nepal by some countries in the recent days and months? What could be the Chinese mechanism to allow Nepal as an independent nation-state?

Remarkably, Chinese Ambassador’s somewhat “meaning” loaded statement has come only a day after the Indian Ambassador summoned the Maoists leaders, Comrade Prachanda and Dr. Bhattarai to his house and dictated the Nepali leaders to do this and not to do that. Analysts saw this particular event as an affront to Nepali ego. Alas! Our “honored” leaders could understand the psyche of the population.

To sum up, these two Chinese statements, one from the Chinese academic sector and the second from the official quarter, contain so many messages if analyzed “layer by layer” which are some what rough and tough, sweet and sour both.

By and large, what could be safely said is that China is very much present in Nepal and will perhaps not tolerate any thing that undermined Nepal’s sovereignty and anti-China activities?

It is encouraging to note that China, better late than never, has begun taking slight interest in the happenings in Nepal and remains well abreast with what “ploys” are being crafted against Beijing by some political quarters in destabilizing China.