The Peoples Republic of China’s (PRC) attempts to install a Beijing-friendly Government in Nepal has suffered from a major setback, say specialists, according to the South Asia Democratic Forum.
The Communist Party of China (CPC), for a certain period, ‘pushed to create a united leftist party in Kathmandu that would enjoy widespread support and govern in favour of officials in Beijing.’
To accomplish this objective, the CPC supported merging the two largest communist parties to establish a strong communist force in Nepal.
The newly formed party, which was called the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), comprised of Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Unified Marxist and Leninist) headed by PK Sharma Oli and the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist Centre) led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal (aka Prachanda).
In 2018, the unified communists under the banner of the NCP came to power in Nepal.
This was seen as a sign that Beijing had completed its primary objective. However, this situation was short-lived, and the party split in March 2021. The NCP exited, and Nepali Congress grabbed the reins of power.
According to the SADF, it is hard not to perceive the NCP Split as a major setback to Beijing and its Nepal policy. Under the new prime minister Sher Bahadur Nauba of the NC, the Nepalese government’s criticism of India was toned down significantly, another sign of Beijing’s declining influence in the Himalayan Nation.
After the November 2022 general elections, Beijing regained some of the political space in Kathmandu it enjoyed during the NCP rule. Nepal witnessed the return of the CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre to power as a part of a broader coalition.
The withdrawal of the pro-Chinese CPN UML from the current ruling coalition was a significant setback for Beijing. The situation for China worsened when the CPN-UML exited from the coalition because of Prachanda’s larger behind-the-scenes political manoeuvre.
In early 2023, a presidential election took place in Nepal. The PM decided to promote Ram Chandra Poudel from the opposition Nepali Congress. The takeover by Poudel is seen as a third sign of Beijing’s fall.
His predecessor, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, had a ‘discernible proclivity toward China.’ Prachanda’s decision led to the drop-out of CPN-UML from the ruling coalition and the removal of a “pro-Chinese” communist face in the supreme post.
