Is Nepal equally neutral to China and India?

Once again, the attention of Nepal-China Mutual Co-Operation Society (NCMCS) has seriously been arrested regarding the so-called neutral position of Government of Nepal advocated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Krishna Bahadur Mahara about Doklam Conflict between Peoples Republic of China and Republic of India at a press meet at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kathmandu, Nepal on the 7th August 2017.

We are really surprised at the Foreign Minister Maharas appeal to both the country to settle the Doklam conflict peacefully via negotiation as crocodiles tears, because of his recent activities seem to be highly biased towards China in favour of India. Some of the evidences for such biased activities which kill the very notion of Nepals position of neutrality as said by Foreign Minister Mahara are clearly demonstrated in various realms.

In reality, Nepal is a member of Non-alignment movement, SAARC chapter cum UN charter and believes in five principles of peaceful coexistence and thereby respects territorial integrity and national sovereignty of any nation. Hidden or disclosed, Nepal should remain neutral in her dealing with our immediate neighbours like China and India, but governments of Nepal led by former Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda and present Prime Minister Sher Bdr. Deuba were/are totally supporting anti-China elements and activities from Nepali soil desperately. NCMCS cannot accept such activities of recent governments of Nepal at any rate; rather NCMCS will be ready to express its commitment to the truth and honesty in history. The truth and honesty is that 1890s agreement between China and the UK provides primary evidence where Doklam plateau belongs to Chinese territory and India doesn’t have any right to send her troops and meddle in the road construction of China.

Nepal Should appeal India not to send Indian troops to Chinese territory in favor of Bhutan which will be detrimental to India at last. Why the Coalition government of Nepali Congress-Maoist Center is not equally acting neutral to both China and India but acting more openly against China so much? The hidden reasons are Southern-Western Alliance of Indians, Americans and Some European countries to carry out anti-China activities from Nepal in order to disintegrate Tibet from China. Southern-Western Alliance is harnessing the political instability of Nepal at the moment.

NCMCS is aware of Indian pressure heavily put on the then PM Prachanda to give Surkhet airport to Indian armies with a view to make Surkhet a military base so that Tibet can be attacked with Southern-Western military alliance from Surkhet or Jumla, but Indian design was failed due to strong protest performed by the president of NCMCS on time. Similarly, sometimes ago, some 20 Hong Kong and Uyghur separatist activists were arrested by Nepali police and handed over to the Immigration Department’ which later on released all of them without any punishment.

More than that, Some 121 Tibetans known to be free Tibet activists entered Nepal during Prachandas Prime ministership but after staying a few days in Nepal were sent to India with the help of western countries including UNHCR. An oath taking ceremony of Tsultrim Gyatso as the ambassador of the Dalai Lamas government in exile for Nepal was organized openly amidst the security of Nepal government at the Dome of Swayambhu where more than 50 officials including a member of parliament of Dalai Lamas government in exile were present.  From all those activities, NCMCS is clear that present coalition government of Nepali congress-Maoist center’ is openly supporting anti-China activities from Nepal.

Under such circumstances, NCMCS decides to implement clause one and five of China (Tibet)-Nepal treaty of Betrawoti 1792 AD in order to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nepal.  The clause one says that China should henceforth be considered as father to both Nepal and Tibet, who should regard each other as brothers. And the clause five says that if Nepal be ever invaded by a foreign power, China would not fail to help her. If present government of Nepal is really neutral, Nepal should appeal India not to send Nepali Indian armies to the Doklam plateau to fight against China and solve the conflict peacefully after withdrawing Indian armies from Chinese territory.

The eight-member delegation led by House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi met with Dalai Lama on May 8, 2017 at  Dharmashala in  India and thereafter immediately met with Indian PM Narendra Modi. The delegation arrived in Kathmandu on the next day and met with Dalai Lamas supporters openly without opposition from the government of Nepal and then met with the then Prime Minister of Nepal Mr. Puspa Kamal Dahal and the present House Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar on the 9th of May, 2017. It amply proves how much Nepal government is neutral to China. China is highly irritated by Nepal governments hide and seek activities with the people of China and Chinese government.  Now, China cannot stay in pacified position in such anti-China activities being carried out from Nepali territory.

In recent years, India has intentionally tried to provoke China by arranging Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lamas meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan during a childrens summit on December 10, 2016 in which China strongly opposing India must respect Chinas core interests to avoid any disturbance to the bilateral ties. China also took strong exception to the government invitation given to Dalai Lama to inaugurate International Conference on Buddhism in 21st Century on March 16, 2017 at Rajgir in Bihar, India.

Dalai Lama has visited Arunachal Pradesh six times in the last eight years and recently again visited to Arunachal Pradesh in March, 2017 that began to sour the India’s relationship with China. The last trip served special provocation for China because Dalai Lama visited the remote monastery in Tawang, close to the de facto border from where Dalai Lama entered India in 1959 after trekking for 13 days through the Himalayas after he fled Tibet as a young monk. It is more than enough to easily understand from the statement given by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang that Doklam has been a part of China since ancient times. It does not belong to Bhutan, still less India.

NCMCS is wholly proud of Chinese president Xi Jinpings wonderful remarks to mark 90 years since the army was formed is that We will never permit anybody, any organization, any political party to split off any piece of Chinese territory from China at any time or in any form.  Nobody would nurse any hope that we will swallow the bitter fruit of harm to our national sovereignty, security and development interests. If war breaks out, the Liberation Army will use its thunderous might to deliver a painful lesson to India.

NCMCS is a convinced adherent that China is not a sleeping tiger in the 21st century for the protection of territorial integrity and national sovereignty based on nternational instruments.  NCMCS strongly arrests attention of the government of Nepal on time to be alert and act really neutral in accordance with international norms and values, Otherwise, Nepal has to read the clause one and five of China (Tibet)-Nepal Treaty of Betrawoti 1792 AD so carefully.

(The Statement from Nepal-China Mutual Cooperation Society (NCMCS, Nepal) is published as article.) – Editor