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Nepal and China have agreed to promote cooperation in various sectors including trade, transit, connectivity, investment, health, tourism, poverty alleviation, disaster management, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, among others.

The two countries agreed on this during the 14th meeting of the Nepal-China Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism held virtually Wednesday afternoon.

Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Wu Jianghao led their respective delegations to the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release.

On the occasion, the two sides took stock of Nepal-China relations and exchanged views on further promoting bilateral relations and cooperation for mutual benefit.

During the meeting, the two sides underscored the importance of exchange of high-level visits and stressed the need for timely implementation of the agreements and understandings reached between the two countries.

Foreign Secretary Paudyal thanked the Chinese Government for the generous support of life-saving vaccines and medical supplies to Nepal during the difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistant Minister Wu assured the Foreign Secretary of China’s support for the improvement of health infrastructures as well as for the capacity building of medical personnel of Nepal.

The two sides also agreed to activate bilateral mechanisms to enhance cooperation and partnership in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also emphasized the need for timely completion of China-assisted projects.

The main opposition CPN-UML has objected to US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, who is also the special coordinator for Tibetan issues Uzra Zeya’s visit to the Tibetan refugee camp in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur.

Taking part in the discussion over the policy and programs of the government in the Federal Parliament on Thursday, the main opposition party leader and party Chairman KP Sharma Oli expressed his dissatisfaction for allowing the US Under Secretary of State to visit the Tibetan refugee camp.

She visited the Tibetan refugee camp in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur on May 21. Later that day she also went to Kathmandu’s Boudha, home to a large number of Tibetan refugees.

US Under Secretary of State Zeya was taken to the refugee camp with police escorting by security forces.

“This government does not care about the national interest. This government has violated Nepal's established norms by letting US official to visit Tibetan refugee camp in Nepal. This government has become weak,” he said.

Also Read: US engagement with Nepal’s Tibetan refugees infuriating China

“Who allowed the US official to visit the Tibetan refugee camp? Is this the neutrality and national independent foreign policy envisioned by the constitution?” he questioned.

He said that the government is not committed to the One-China policy.

“The government gets a fever when a foreigner comes to Nepal. How can sovereignty be protected?” he questioned.

Some political leaders, ex-diplomats, and bureaucrats criticized the government for allowing her to see Tibetan refugees, saying that it violated Nepal’s One-China policy.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has claimed that his party can join the government anytime soon as it is a strong opposition.

Discussing the policy and programs recently unveiled by the government at the Federal Parliament on Thursday, the former Prime Minister said that the opposition party will always be in the government in waiting.

“UML is not just the government in waiting in principle, UML is the government in waiting in the real sense,” he said.

Chairman Oli made it clear that the UML was not a party that came to power after the multi-party system but a party that came from the struggle.

He accused the ruling coalition of misusing state mechanisms in the local level elections to defeat the UML.

Leader Oli said that the government’s foreign policy has become weak.

The party Chairman claimed that the policy and programs came as a manifesto of instability.

He claimed that this document was prepared by external forces to push the country towards crisis.

On May 23, American President Joe Biden launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), with 13 majors of this region on board. Together, these countries represent 40% of world GDP.

 The countries joining IPEF are Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The 13 countries have invited participation from additional Indo-Pacific partners that share common goals, interests, and ambitions for the region. So, more countries are likely to join this initiative in the coming days.

In the past few years, America’s investment in this region is continuously increasing. U.S. foreign direct investment in the region totaled more than $969 billion in 2020 and has nearly doubled in the last decade.  A connected, resilient, clean, and fair economy is the key pillar of America’s new initiative. This is a new effort to engage in this region economically after the U.S withdrew from Trans-Pacific Partnership known as TPP.

The aim of the new framework is to contain China’s growing economic influence in the Indo-Pacific Region.  Soon after the inaugural, American Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said that it marks an important turning point in restoring U.S. economic leadership in the region and presenting Indo-Pacific countries with alternatives to China’s approach to these critical issues.

India whose relationship with China remains strained after 2020 has fully backed the Biden’s initiative.  Speaking at the inaugural session, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is a declaration of our collective will to make the region an engine of global economic growth. He said there should be three main pillars of resilient supply chains: trust, transparency, and timeliness. Like another regional trade pact, the new one, however, does not provide any details.

China has strongly opposed IPEF saying that it is designed to advance US geopolitical strategy. In the name of cooperation, the framework seeks to exclude certain countries, establish US-led trade rules, restructure the system of industrial chains, and decouple regional countries with the Chinese economy, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on May 25. He further said: “The fact is, many countries in the region are worried about the huge cost of “decoupling” with China. People will see clearly that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is a design to disrupt regional cooperation and a tool to coerce regional countries.”

The new framework seeks to build high-standard, inclusive, free, and fair trade commitments. Further, it aims to develop new and creative approaches in trade and technology policy that advance a broad set of objectives that fuel economic activity and investment, promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and benefit workers and consumers.

The framework has committed to promoting fair competition by enacting and enforcing effective and robust tax, anti-money laundering, and anti-bribery regimes in line with existing multilateral obligations, standards, and agreements to curb tax evasion and corruption in the Indo-Pacific region. This involves sharing expertise and seeking ways to support capacity building necessary to advance an accountable and transparent system. The framework also plans to advance regional economic connectivity and integration through consultations among partners.