Now, China has finally sent its ambassador. Chen Song landed in Kathmandu on Sunday, and immediately after his arrival he delivered a statement highlighting his priorities as the new ambassador.
“It has been a privilege and a great honor for me to serve as the 22th Chinese Ambassador to Nepal,” said Chen. “I, together with my colleagues in the embassy, stand ready to work with Nepali friends from all walks of life to unleash the full-potential of China-Nepal cooperation, and elevate the bilateral relation to a new height.” It is rare for a newly appointed Chinese ambassador to engage with the media. He delivered a long speech on bilateral relations even before presenting his credentials to President Bidya Devi Bhandari. It hints that the new ambassador will be shunning the traditional approach of quiet diplomacy. In fact, this change in diplomacy tack by China is reflected everywhere. Ambassador Chen also spoke about “strategic cooperation”, the term that was also uttered by President Xi Jinping during his 2019 Kathmandu trip. It’s clear that the new ambassador is here to do Xi’s bidding. Implementation of the agreements between China and Nepal during Xi’s visit remains a top priority for China. “As the new ambassador to Nepal, I am deeply aware of the glorious mission and great responsibility,” said Chen. “I will follow the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and Nepali leaders, stay devoted and dedicated to outline their freehand brushwork of bilateral relations into a meticulous painting.” The ambassador stopped short of mentioning the Global Security Initiative(GSI), Beijing’s latest vision for world order, which has drawn criticism in Kathmandu. He did, however, talk about the BRI, and the Global Development Initiative, which many see as part of the GSI. “In recent years, under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, China-Nepal practical cooperation in various fields has been improved both in quality and efficiency, and the trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network has gradually taken shape,” said Chen. This only means that Nepal is likely to see more of the BRI and GDI discourses in the coming days. The new ambassador also mentioned about the political changes that happened in both countries over the past couple of months. “In the face of new situations, new opportunities and new challenges, China will, as always, firmly support Nepal in safeguarding state sovereignty and national dignity by exploring a development path suited to its national conditions, and pursuing independent domestic and foreign policies,” he said. Upendra Gautam, vice-chairman of China Study Center, said the arrival of the new ambassador does not make any policy changes in the bilateral relations, but there could be some changes in the style and operation. “The key challenge for the new ambassador will be to navigate the complex and dynamic political situation in Nepal, which often keeps changing,” he said. Nonetheless, Beijing is upbeat with the formation of the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government in Kathmandu. As the US and China are competing for primacy in South Asia, it helps Beijing to have a communist party-led government in Kathmandu to push its strategic interests. Of late, China is adopting an aggressive approach in Kathmandu, which has historically been close to its regional rival, India. And with the US, too, weighing in with its own set of interests in South Asia, the Xi administration is desperate to wrest control of the region. The latest example of Beijing showing its desperation was its attempt to link Pokhara airport with the BRI. Before that, the emerging supower had strongly opposed America’s Millennium Challenge Corporation Nepal Compact. During the previous government, led by Sher Bahdur Deuba of the Nepali Congress, China had also expressed displeasure over numerous issues including the border dispute and Western activities related to the exiled Tibetan community. Chandra Dev Bhatta, geopolitical analyst, said there was a whiff of desperation in the way the newly appointed Chinese ambassador presented himself after landing in Kathmandu. “Of course, Nepal-China relations are not built in a day but time has come to make it more pragmatic rather than trying to become loud and populist,” he said.
