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Chinese Prime Minister Making Five-hour Stopover In Kathmandu
BY KTM Metro Reporter
January 14, 2012: the state-run Radio Nepal in its seven o’clock morning news today has said that Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is arriving Kathmandu at 11:00 AM and leaving Kathmandu at 4:00 PM for Qatar today; he will have a courtesy meeting with President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav and business meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai.
The Home Ministry has tightened the security in Kathmandu and has rounded up about 200 Tibetans at the Thankot entry point while they are entering Kathmandu yesterday. In view of the possible protest rally the Tibetans might hold in Kathmandu, the Home Ministry has done so to keep the high profile guest happy while in Kathmandu.
The highly hyped visit of the Chinese prime minister has been embarrassing to the current coalition government, as the visit has been postponed in the past. Some opposition members in the parliament have even labeled the cancellation of the Chinese prime minister’s visit as the failure of the foreign policy of the current government.
Deputy Prime Minister holding the portfolio of foreign affairs Narayankaji Shrestha had visited China to arrange the visit of the Chinese prime minister to Nepal. The abrupt cancellation of the visit of the Chinese prime minister to Nepal giving the domestic reasons has surprised most of the political analysts in Nepal.
Again, Deputy Prime Minister holding the portfolios of home and defense ministries Bijaya Gacchedhar has recently visited China obviously to make the visit of the Chinese prime minister a reality to save the current government from embarrassment and the failure of the foreign policy of the current government.
The stopover of the Chinese prime minister for five hours in Kathmandu on the way to Qatar is exactly what the Chinese prime minister is doing to save the current government from embarrassment that would be caused by canceling his visit to Nepal. Even though the Chinese are not happy with the current government, they are not willing to push the current government away, as they need the current government at least to keep the Tibetan exiles in Nepal from making any noises for the freedom of Tibet from the Chinese rule.
The highly active Chinese ambassador in Nepal has been keeping low profile indicating that his government is not happy with the current Nepalese government. However, the Chinese are not in the strategic position as the Indians are for Nepal. So, the Nepalese government could ignore certain things that the Chinese want in other words the Nepalese government needs not be so concerned with the Chinese as they need to be with the Indians.
The Nepal government has not officially announced the visit of the Chinese prime minister to Nepal. Maybe, the government has not done so to prevent any embarrassment if the Chinese prime minister changes his mind not to pass through Nepal.
