Why go to China?

There is no point in PM Oli jetting off to Beijing if he can’t take Nepali Congress into confidence.

Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli is not someone who minces his words. So when Oli was asked at the recent Kantipur Conclave whether he was worried about visiting China before going to India, it was interesting to see him struggle for the right words. He eventually said something along the lines that it is hard to discern which of the two neighbours is more important and should be his first port of call. Just so that the Indians are not spooked, he added “our relations with India are deep, historical, based on culture and tradition, and predate the formation of modern states.” Ever since he became prime minister around four months ago, PM Oli has been desperately trying to get an invite from New Delhi. This was why he had sat on an earlier offer to visit China. But when he saw that New Delhi was in no mood to invite him, Oli decided to visit Beijing first. Perhaps it was also a not-so-subtle signal to India that if it is not ready to engage with him, he will not be afraid to sidle closer to China.