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Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on Saturday, marking a significant step in strengthening Nepal-China relations. The meeting took place at the Tianjin State Guest House on the sidelines of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit.

During his official visit to China, which will continue until September 3, Prime Minister Oli is set to address the SCO Plus Summit on September 1 and participate in events commemorating the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on September 3. The visit also includes planned meetings with other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chinh.

The discussions between Prime Minister Oli and President Xi focused on deepening bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade, infrastructure development, and regional connectivity. Both leaders also reviewed the implementation of agreements from previous high-level visits and explored opportunities for further collaboration within the SCO framework.

 

In May 2024, Kathmandu was declared as the world’s most polluted city, according to real-time data from the Air Quality Index (AQI). Ranking 162 on the index, Kathmandu surpassed Chiang Mai in Thailand and Medan in Indonesia, raising alarms about the growing air quality crisis in South Asia.

Similarly, the World Bank released a report in June 2025 stating that air pollution is a major factor for death and disability in Nepal. “Single-sector solutions are not sufficient to meet any clean air target. Public policy and investment need to optimize air quality actions across sectors, prioritizing those with the most cost-effective solutions,” the report states.

Air pollution reduces life expectancy by 3.4 years for the average Nepali and causes approximately 26,000 premature deaths annually. In addition to health, air pollution impacts labor productivity, tourism, and the aviation sector. The economic cost of poor air quality is equivalent to more than 6 percent of Nepal’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year.

Experts attribute the surge in pollution levels to a combination of increasing temperatures and widespread forest fires that have led the Kathmandu Valley to the state. This alarming spike underscores a broader regional crisis: air pollution in South Asia is cutting lives short at an unprecedented rate.

The data from the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), developed by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute reveals that air pollution remains the single greatest external threat to life expectancy in South Asia. The report shows that the average life expectancy in the region is reduced by three years due to air pollution. In the most polluted areas, that figure exceeds eight years. Across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, the health burden from particulate pollution is nearly twice that of childhood and maternal malnutrition, and more than five times greater than that of unsafe water and sanitation.

This data makes clear that particulate pollution is the world’s greatest external risk to human health. Its impact on life expectancy is comparable to that of smoking, more than four times that of high alcohol use, five times that of transport injuries like car crashes, and more than six times that of HIV/AIDS.

Nearly 2bn people in South Asia are breathing air that far exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for PM₂.₅—fine particulate matter known to damage lungs and the cardiovascular system. Most countries in the region are also failing to meet their own, far more lenient, national air quality standards.

In Nepal, PM₂.₅ concentrations reached 38.3 µg/m³ in 2023—a 10 percent increase over the previous year. According to the AQLI report, “The average Nepali could gain three and half years of life if the country met WHO air quality standards. In heavily polluted districts such as Mahottari and Rautahat, residents could gain more than five and half years of life expectancy,” the report states.

In response, the government has implemented an Air Quality Management Action Plan 2020 for the Kathmandu Valley. The strategy focuses on strengthening emissions monitoring and data collection, regulating polluting sectors like transport, brick kilns, and construction and promoting sustainable urban planning and eco-friendly infrastructure. Experts warn that without aggressive action, the health crisis will worsen.

Globally, pollution increased slightly in 2023, with wildfire-driven particulate matter emerging as a new challenge, even in developed countries. In Canada, PM₂.₅ levels doubled, marking the highest pollution in 26 years. Wildfire smoke affected vast swaths of the US, pushing several Midwest and Southern counties into the ranks of the nation’s most polluted—surpassing California for the first time in five years.

“We are now stuck living with air pollution concentrations that are the dangerous ghost of the fossil fuels burned since the Industrial Revolution,” says Michael Greenstone, AQLI co-creator and Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. “Even countries that have earnestly spent decades cleaning up their air can’t escape these ghosts and the shorter and sicker lives they deliver.”

A significant barrier to tackling pollution is the lack of real-time air quality data. According to AQLI again, nearly 70 percent of the world’s population lives in countries with fewer than three air quality monitors per million people and that leaves 5bn people—many in the most polluted regions without access to basic information about the air they breathe

“Access to information is critical,” says Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Clean Air Program at EPIC. “While data can catalyze action, it must be backed by political will, ambitious policy, and consistent enforcement.”

If global air quality were brought in line with WHO guidelines, the average person could gain 1.9 additional years of life, saving a combined 15.1bn life-years worldwide. Yet, for South Asia, the need is especially urgent. Pollution in the region rose 2.8 percent from 2022 to 2023, following a brief dip the year prior. Despite temporary improvements, the trend remains dire—reinforcing that particulate pollution is not just a public health concern, but a full-blown humanitarian crisis.

Each year, the AQLI takes on a different topic related to air pollution. This year, the report focused on access to air quality information—a topic EPIC has been deeply involved with over the last decade, including through the AQLI. When people understand that the air they breathe is harmful to their health, they can take steps to reduce the hazard by purchasing air purifiers, wearing masks, limiting time outdoors, and using the data to inform policy actions.

“The analysis shows that improving life expectancy in South Asia will require policies that bring air quality in line with current standards and, over time, move toward stricter limits. Evidence from other regions demonstrates that targeted, sustained action can rapidly reduce PM₂.₅ and deliver measurable gains in longevity”, says AQLI Director Tanushree Ganguly. “Throughout history, countries have grown and developed while improving air quality. Targeting fossil fuels at their source will help clean local air and combat climate change. But countries need better data and stronger policies to make that happen.”

Most of the motorized vehicles operating in Nepal bear hand-written number plates, a unique practice in this day and age of digital technology.

The government of Nepal wants to switch to embossed number plates as part of the concept of a Digital Nepal and plans to install 2.5m embossed plates in as many vehicles out of 4m vehicles in operation across the country.

As per a revised agreement with the government, a US-Bangla joint venture company tasked with installing the new plates has to install 2.49m embossed plates in the first phase—within November 27 this year.

But stakeholders like transporters, commoners, linguistic rights groups and data security specialists have a lot of reservations regarding the government plan.

For their part, transporters have urged the public not to switch to embossed plates till the government addresses their concerns, including practical difficulties involved and the lack of supporting infrastructure. They have warned that the government will be solely to blame for the consequences if it tries to enforce its will.

Other concerns include a tardy service, high charges associated with installation of embossed plates, the use of English language instead of Nepali, given that traditional number plates are in Nepali, and data security of motorists, bikers and drivers in a day and age where technology has become a double-edged sword. Also, there’s a feeling among members of the public that the use of English language in number plates is part of a sinister design to undermine and discourage the use of Nepali, the official national language of Nepal that uses the Devnagari script.

The government’s intent to enforce the embossed system, come hell or high water, with no regard for public concerns has made the citizenry more suspicious vis-à-vis the former’s designs, perceived or otherwise.

Granted that the new system is likely to contribute to traffic management, curb theft of vehicles,  lead to the recovery of stolen vehicles and improve road safety. Instead of a top-down approach, the government should have taken a bottom-up approach, sensitizing the people about this technology, its benefits and shortcomings, and bothered to address the concerns of the stakeholders to a maximum possible extent. The government, instead, chose to impose its plan in a manner befitting benevolent dictators, who impose their ‘pious wishes’ on the citizenry every now and then.  

It's time for the government to eat the humble pie once again and address the concerns of the stakeholders by giving up its my way or highway attitude. 

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is all set to visit China this week to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, marking an important step in Nepal’s high-level diplomatic engagement with its two powerful neighbors—India and China.

This visit comes at a delicate juncture. Concerns in Kathmandu are growing over a renewed India-China agreement on trade through the disputed Lipulekh Pass. Against this backdrop, the SCO summit provides Oli not just a platform to engage with regional powers but also an opportunity to assert Nepal’s interests amid rising geopolitical complexities. Alongside attending the summit’s side events, Oli is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which will be his second and third meetings with them respectively since assuming office for the third time in July 2024.

Oli’s foreign outreach has been consistent. In December last year, he visited China to finalize a framework agreement on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), one of Beijing’s top priorities in its engagement with Nepal. Similarly, his talks with Modi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and the recent BIMSTEC meeting in Thailand highlight the frequency of high-level interactions. Yet, this week’s meetings are under particular scrutiny, as concerns over Lipulekh have resurfaced. On Aug 19,  India and China agreed to resume trade through the territory that Nepal claims as its own.

While Beijing has maintained a largely reserved stance, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi merely assuring that the India-China deal was not “targeted at any third country”, Nepal has been more vocal. Government spokesperson Prithvi Subba Gurung confirmed that Kathmandu will raise the issue directly with both Xi and Modi. Meanwhile, Chinese think tanks argue that the dispute should be settled bilaterally between Nepal and India.

The timing of this trip also underscores a shift in Oli’s priorities—from domestic politics to foreign affairs. After China, he is expected to travel to India next month and later attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York in mid-September. Adding to this momentum, Vietnam’s Vice-president visited Nepal this week, exploring new avenues of cooperation in trade, education, and tourism, a sign that Nepal is quietly broadening its international engagements beyond its immediate neighborhood.

Domestically, Oli continues to stand on firm political ground. His main coalition partner, the Nepali Congress (NC), has remained supportive, allowing him to sideline opposition voices such as the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). NC General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa, however, has urged Oli to refrain from repeatedly claiming he will eventually hand over power to NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba—a gesture seen by many as unnecessary flattery.

Within his own party, Oli maintains an even tighter grip. The CPN-UML is preparing for a statute convention that could abolish both the 70-year age limit and the two-term leadership cap, moves widely viewed as paving the way for Oli’s indefinite leadership. At the same time, former President Bidya Devi Bhandari has re-emerged, opening a new office and holding political meetings. While Oli has downplayed her return to active politics, senior UML leaders like Ishwar Pokhrel appear supportive, whereas others such as Surendra Pandey and Yubaraj Gyawali remain cautious.

Interestingly, the Lipulekh controversy—once a dominant political issue—has lost much of its noise. Beyond the CPN (Maoist Center), RSP, and a few fringe left parties, most mainstream actors including NC and UML have chosen silence. This restraint is a stark contrast to earlier years when nationalist rhetoric dominated political discourse. Oli too has avoided inflammatory remarks, perhaps to preserve diplomatic decorum ahead of his meetings in China and India.

At the same time, the Maoist Center is preparing a nationwide campaign to strengthen its base ahead of local and national elections, though Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s attempts to topple the government appear ineffective. His tensions with senior leader Janardhan Sharma also persist.

Meanwhile, developments within Parliament continue. Ishwari Neupane of the NC has been elected chair of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, following the resignation of Ram Hari Khatiwada over his alleged involvement in document tampering related to cooling-off period provision in the Federal Civil Service Bill.

Outside Parliament, public discontent remains visible. Teachers have returned to the streets demanding better job security, pensions, and reforms in the education bill. The passage of the bill has been delayed due to disputes between NC and UML. 

Adding to these domestic challenges, sugarcane farmers have reignited their agitation over delayed subsidies and unpaid dues from mills. Beginning Aug 24, farmers from the Tarai staged a sit-in at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu, demanding full payment of a long-promised Rs 70 per quintal subsidy—half of which was recently slashed to Rs 35 due to budget shortages. They are also pushing for fairer valuation, removal of VAT, and inclusion in price-setting decisions.

Beyond politics and protests, policy issues continue to surface. After last year’s rhino census was postponed due to lack of funds, Nepal will this year conduct both rhino and tiger counts with support from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. On the agricultural front, paddy planting remains incomplete even as August draws to a close. Of the 1,376,466 hectares suitable for cultivation, 1,306,293 hectares (about 94 percent) have been planted, leaving 70,176 hectares still fallow.

Public health concerns are also mounting. The National Public Health Laboratory has confirmed cholera cases in Birgunj, with eight of ten tested samples returning positive. The Birgunj Metropolitan Health Division reported that 171 patients suffering from cholera and diarrhea have been treated and discharged, though results from two pending samples are awaited.

Finally, in a culturally significant ruling, the Supreme Court has declared that naked Hindu ascetics, known as Naga sadhus, are not obliged to wear clothes when visiting temples. The court affirmed that their centuries-old tradition of nudity is not obscenity, a decision warmly welcomed by the ash-smeared, dreadlocked devotees of Lord Shiva.