By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, Sept 13: The visiting high level Chinese delegation has reportedly expressed satisfaction over “Nepal’s ‘one China’ policy and the alertness adopted by the country over the Tibet issue”.
A 21-member delegation led by He Yong, Secretary of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, who arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday afternoon on a six-day visit.
The visit comes in the wake of recent scandal involving Nepal’s opposition Maoist party in which the former guerrillas have been accused of seeking NRS 500 million from Chinese “friends” to buy MPs’ votes in run up to the election to choose Nepal’s new prime minister.
The delegation arrived in Nepal at the invitation of the UCPN-Maoist, the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML and comes in the wake of will hold meetings with different political parties during the visit, Nepali media reports said.
Just after their arrival in Kathmandu on Saturday, the delegation met with UCPN-Maoist leaders, including Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Nepali Congress seniors, including acting President Sushil Koirala, separately at a five-star hotel in the Nepalese Capital.
During an hour-long close-door meeting at Soaltee Crowne Plaza, the Maoist chairman reportedly asked the Chinese delegates to “increase the ties between the Nepali Maoist party and the CPC (Communist Party of China),” Himalayan Times cited UCPN-Maoist vice chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha as saying.
Maoist chairman Dahal, three vice chairmen of the party—Mohan Baidhya, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and Shrestha– the party’s foreign department chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Steering Committee member Dev Gurung took part in the meeting.
During the meeting, the Maoist leadership also assured the Chinese delegates that it “is committed to the One China Policy, and assured them of not letting the Nepali soil to be used against China”.
Meanwhile, the Chinese delegation invited the Maoist Chairman to visit China at a convenient time.
The Chinese delegation also held talks with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav on Sunday.
The meeting with the Prime Minister Nepal dwelt reportedly on the “political stalemate, peace process and bilateral cooperation”.
While Mr Nepal expressed commitment to his country’s “One China Policy”, Secretary Yong expressed satisfaction over Nepal’s handling of Tibet-related issue.
The delegation, representing an officially atheist government, on Monday visited Lumbini, the birth place of Gautam Buddha, and even offered offers at the Maya Devi Temple. They also visited Chenhuwa Buddhist Gumba, made by the Chinese government in the temple premises.
Following the “massive” anti-China unrest in Tibet in 2008, China has been sending a flurry of high-level official delegations to Nepal to ensure it effectively curbs “Free-Tibet activities” on its soil. In return China promises to increase assistance to the crisis-ridden country.
The delegation will return to China on September 16.
