Let’s tango together

Nepal and China must find ways to bridge gaps in their understanding of issues of mutual interest.

Nepali prime ministers, irrespective of their political affiliation, have over the years tried to cultivate the best of relations with New Delhi. Given the multifaceted nature of Nepal-India ties, the open border and Nepal’s heavy trade reliance on the southern neighbour, iffy relations with India can make life difficult for the Nepali head of government. There is also a corollary to this hard reality. Whenever the Nepali leader feels New Delhi is unhappy with him, he will invariably make an overture to the other neighbour, China. In the eyes of top Nepali leaders, China has always been seen as the power whose good graces can give them legitimacy as true nationalists. So they at least have to make a show of promoting ties with Beijing. This also helps keep New Delhi honest. To sum up, for most Nepali leaders, China is worth cultivating only to the extent of boosting their nationalist credentials. The issues of national interest are often the least of their concern.