Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is set to visit China on his first foreign trip this Monday. Oli, who was elected Prime Minister in July this year, will be in China from 2 to 5 December at the invitation of Premier Li Keqiang of the People's Republic of China, according to Nepal's Foreign Ministry. Oli’s wife, Radhika Shakya, will also accompany him.
During his China visit, Oli will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and later hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang. Additionally, Oli will also meet with Zhao Lezhi, the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China.
It is noteworthy that the visit of Nepal's Prime Minister is taking place at a time when Nepal is debating whether to join China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Although Nepal has not yet clarified its stance, experts believe that Nepal may agree to join BRI, which could create bigger problems for India. This is because India is already opposing BRI in Pakistan as it passes through PoK, which is being referred to as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). If Nepal also joins BRI, it could provide easy access to China in India, posing a significant threat to India's sovereignty.
However, it seems difficult for Nepal to take a decision on this issue as the Nepalese Congress and the CPN-UML government led by Prime Minister Oli have not been able to build trust on this matter. In such a situation, Nepal will have to first convince its leaders to agree to BRI.
BRI, or the Belt and Road Initiative, is a global development strategy launched by China in 2013. It was launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping. While China is rapidly moving forward with BRI in Pakistan, the progress is slow in Nepal. There are financial and geopolitical reasons behind this. Nepal is trying to balance its relations with India and China, but it considers BRI as a significant opportunity for its economic development.
