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Chinese team to visit Nepal
Close on the heels of a massive scandal about Nepal's opposition Maoist party seeking to buy MPs' votes with the help of Chinese money, a jumbo Chinese delegation is arriving in Nepal to interact with the government as well as senior party leaders.
The 21-member delegation is headed by He Yong, vice-premier and secretary at the secretariat of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The delegation is arriving on a chartered flight Saturday and will be meeting caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal as well as the top leaders of the three major parties.
The opposition Maoists, who had allegedly been promised NRS 500 million by a "friend" in China to wean away 50 MPs from India's influence and buy their votes to secure Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda's victory in the ongoing prime ministerial election, as well as the two largest ruling parties the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist Leninist and Nepali Congress -- had invited the delegation to visit Nepal. The Chinese visitors will depart on Sept 16 after having also visited Pokhara and Lumbini.
The media as well as the parties' reaction to the imminent visit shows up the anti-India hysteria building up in Nepal. When the Indian government's special envoy Shyam Saran had visited Nepal last month, it created bitter animosity and accusations of Indian intervention, especially by the Maoists and royalists. Visits by Indian party leaders had also triggered resentment and bitter criticism in the past.
However, the visit by the Chinese delegation, despite its size and the preceding furore, has not been taken amiss. Nor did the China government decide to call off the visit at a time things remain sensitive for Beijing following the circulation of an audio tape in which apparently Maoist MP Krishna Bahadur Mahara seeks NRS 500 million from highly placed friends in China to influence the prime ministerial election.
Though both the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu and Mahara have condemned the tape as a fake, an immediate Nepal visit could still be sensitive, to say the least.
Jumbo Chinese team to visit Nepal - South Asia - World - The Times of India
Close on the heels of a massive scandal about Nepal's opposition Maoist party seeking to buy MPs' votes with the help of Chinese money, a jumbo Chinese delegation is arriving in Nepal to interact with the government as well as senior party leaders.
The 21-member delegation is headed by He Yong, vice-premier and secretary at the secretariat of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The delegation is arriving on a chartered flight Saturday and will be meeting caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal as well as the top leaders of the three major parties.
The opposition Maoists, who had allegedly been promised NRS 500 million by a "friend" in China to wean away 50 MPs from India's influence and buy their votes to secure Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda's victory in the ongoing prime ministerial election, as well as the two largest ruling parties the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist Leninist and Nepali Congress -- had invited the delegation to visit Nepal. The Chinese visitors will depart on Sept 16 after having also visited Pokhara and Lumbini.
The media as well as the parties' reaction to the imminent visit shows up the anti-India hysteria building up in Nepal. When the Indian government's special envoy Shyam Saran had visited Nepal last month, it created bitter animosity and accusations of Indian intervention, especially by the Maoists and royalists. Visits by Indian party leaders had also triggered resentment and bitter criticism in the past.
However, the visit by the Chinese delegation, despite its size and the preceding furore, has not been taken amiss. Nor did the China government decide to call off the visit at a time things remain sensitive for Beijing following the circulation of an audio tape in which apparently Maoist MP Krishna Bahadur Mahara seeks NRS 500 million from highly placed friends in China to influence the prime ministerial election.
Though both the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu and Mahara have condemned the tape as a fake, an immediate Nepal visit could still be sensitive, to say the least.
Jumbo Chinese team to visit Nepal - South Asia - World - The Times of India
