Nepal-China: Rebuilding Relations on Bilateral Strength

Professor Upendra Gautam

Nepal

Ancient neighboring countries Nepal and China face the second decade of 21st century. The 21st century decades will exclusively be neither a hot nor a cold war-dominated period. These decades will be more complicated. They will be confronting continuously waged cyber wars and relentless negotiation and dialogue on terms of trade and technology transfer. Space exploration and expanded activity there with matching innovations in communication technology and bioengineering will be additional features of this time.

Reform:

In 1978 China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping initiated reform and modernization in China. The same year in February he visited Nepal. He wished Nepal also to move on the trailblazing path in reform and development. But Nepali leadership was hesitant about the Chinese joint venture partnership proposal as it (the leadership) was less than adequately determined and patriotic to serve Nepal's national interest though it was that very leadership that had in 1975 made a just proposal for declaring Nepal a zone of peace.

The leadership's worldly behavior represented a practical truth: the beggars have no right to choose. Or as a Nepali saying has it, "Hot food for the beggars?" But Nepali leaderships kept begging all the time-more so when they felt a psychological risk of not getting enough in begging.

More than anything, the iconic symbols of the Himalaya (Mt. Sagarmatha/ Qomolangma) and Shakyamuni Siddhartha Gautam Buddha naturally and culturally link Nepal and China. These icons provide adequate basis for infinite naturally and culturally-inspired joint cooperative ventures between the two countries. The discovery of the remains of the more than three thousand year old Shangri-la civilization in Mustang, Nepal's Himalayan district in western region, speaks eloquently of the ancient Sino-Nepali ties that have firm historical roots. The Himalaya and Buddha together give a height and depth to Nepal's China ties, which have no parallel in the world. They testify Nepal's close and unbreakable bond with China. During his visit to Nepal in February, 1957 Premier Zhou Enlai referred to them as "blood ties between Nepal and China." Last month, Dong Manyuan, Vice-president of China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), a think tank associated with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, echoed the long standing brotherly sentiment at a China Study Center seminar in Kathmandu, when he said, "The relation between Nepal and China is as solid as the Himalaya and as higher than the Qomolangma, also known as Mt. Everest" (China Daily, 14 November, 2011).

The bilateral strength of Nepal-China relation can indeed sustain and comprehensively prosper them according to the challenges and needs of the 21st century. All round connectivity based on efficient transport and communication infrastructures including the satellite one should provide social, economic and political security to this relation. As a secure relation boosts a sense of independence, it helps forging a more confident and credible relation in the Trans-Himalayan region-not yet liberated from the vestiges of the inhuman colonial order. Imaginative joint venture model on integration will further bolster investment. In this model, planning and financing framework at the inter-country level and ethnic Nepali group living and working in China's interior as well as Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Tibet and the Chinese enterprises engaged in Nepal at the operational level can be instrumental in promoting Nepal-China joint cooperative partnership.

New Perspective:

Inspired by a sense of history and contemporary responsibility of a world power, China has now started appropriately rebuilding its ties with immediate neighbors for achieving comprehensive peace and prosperity in the neighborhood. Premier Wen Jiabao was candid when he in a congratulatory message (30 August, 2011) to Nepali Prime Minister Dr Babu Ram stated, " The Chinese government and people cherish China-Nepal friendship and always view and develop bilateral relations with a strategic and long-run perspective." Himself an engineer geologist who also heads China's Finance and Economy Leading Group and State Energy Commission, Premier Wen also hoped that the two sides will work together to further deepen cooperation between China and Nepal, and push forward the long-term and steady development of bilateral cooperation. Premier Wen should be appreciated for the due priority he has started giving to Nepal. Now he seems to have realized the consequences of leaving Nepal out of his South Asian itinerary seven years ago, and also why in the later part of 1950s his great predecessor Premier Zhou visited Nepal twice.

It is believed that China understands all dimensions of the externally induced-instability in Nepal. Even at a time when a Nepal prime minister had to resign within months to pave the way for another party leader, and the domestic political situation was very polarized, a visiting senior Chinese leader Zhou Yong Kang, member of Standing Committee of Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC), who led a sixty member powerful delegation, in a speech (17 August 17, 2011) made following non-partisan statement: “The Communist Party of China and Chinese Government attach great importance to Nepal-China friendship and are willing to join hands with the government, all political parties and people from all walks of life to strengthen the practical cooperation in political, economic, cultural and security and other fields and expand people-to-people exchanges.”

Democracy has informed the people that in Nepal a large section of the leadership having a colonial mindset perceive Nepal in fragmentation. Coloration of indigenous Nepal-China bilateral strength by this section of leadership has actually exposed itself. This is high time Nepali leaders honestly heed to what Confucius said long ago," Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." An indomitable wisdom indeed.

(The Author is an old China hand in Nepal)

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