Kathmandu. Asking for a vote of confidence in parliament on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said good relations with neighboring countries were a top priority of his foreign policy. According to him, the United States, European countries, and other old allies are at the forefront after the neighbors.
Deuba, who has become prime minister for the fifth time in 26 years, has a long history of conducting Nepal's foreign policy and international relations. He was the Prime Minister only three years ago and has been leading the Nepali Congress for five years, so he knows a lot about politics.
However, the growing competition between the powers that be in Nepal, the coalition government of parties with different views and perspectives, and the promotion of foreign relations between the weak administrative structure will be like an iron fist for Deuba.
The recent confrontation and competition in Nepal, especially between India, China, and the United States, has posed many challenges, and it is not easy for Deuba to manage them. Rising tensions between India-China and Sino-US have begun to show in Kathmandu.
Equally challenging are the US Indo-Pacific Strategy, China's BRI and the recent B-7W, and the new plans and mechanisms that China has put forward in South Asia over the past few months.
Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai says the new Cold War storm brought by competition between India, China, and the United States is raging in Asia. Speaking in Parliament on Sunday, Bhattarai said, "Yesterday's Cold War was in Europe. The current Cold War is from Syria to Afghanistan, Nepal to Burma and the Asia-Pacific region is becoming the main region. We are in a serious situation as Nepal is in the middle of that. ' According to him, it is necessary to build a national consensus.
"The new prime minister must formulate our foreign policy with the country at the center and not against anyone," Bhattarai said. As Bhattarai said, the complex problems seen in foreign policy can no longer be addressed through rituals and traditional styles.
The challenge of building consensus within the coalition
The task of reaching a consensus on foreign relations between the coalition partners seems daunting to him. Deuba has to win the trust of UCPN (M) Central Committee Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda on foreign relations. Prachanda and Deuba have different views on some issues. The US-funded MCC is an example of this.
Speaking to Himalaya Television on Sunday evening, Prachanda said that the MCC cannot be passed as it is. But Deuba is in favor of passing the MCC without any amendment. Similarly, if Prachanda is in no hurry to pass the MCC, Deuba's priority will be passed immediately. Therefore, it is challenging to reach a consensus among the ruling parties on this issue.
Similarly, there is a difference of opinion between the two leaders regarding the Indo-Pacific strategy. Deuba and Prachanda may not agree on some issues with China. In particular, some projects under Prachanda BRI are in favor of moving ahead immediately. However, due to various internal and external reasons, Deuba is unlikely to show any readiness.
Similarly, Prachanda and Deuba have different views on issues related to India and cooperation with China. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. In the past, even when he was the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the same party, disputes over several issues had affected the overall policy. Therefore, the task of building consensus within the government seems to be the Mahabharata for Deuba.
A balanced and trusting relationship between India and China
Establishing a balanced relationship with neighboring countries by building an atmosphere of trust is another challenge. Every prime minister is under pressure not only to be skeptical of an agreement with one country but also to pressure the other not to reach an agreement, which Deuba will surely have to face.
It is a big challenge for Deuba to pursue relations with both countries by maintaining strategic autonomy to fulfill his national interest. In the past, every prime minister has been criticized for leaning on India or China.
Diplomatic affairs expert Dr. Pramod Jaiswal says, “There are many challenges for Deuba, one of which is to build a balanced relationship with India and China. This issue is also challenging because of the conflict on the Line of Control between the two countries.
Deuba is facing the challenge of building cordial relations with India as well as China. Although the previous Oli government was close to China for the first few months, relations with China have not progressed much since then. China wants to advance the agreements reached between the two countries
After all, when a cordial relationship is built between India and China, it is easier for Nepal to cooperate with both countries. But when tensions rise on their borders, Nepal is in a difficult position. As tensions with China escalate, India views China's agreement with Nepal with skepticism. "As its conflict with China escalates, China's BRI projects in Nepal become a source of concern for India," Jaiswal said.
On the other hand, building trust between India and China is another challenge. Especially in relations with India, Deuba has issues to face. Relations with India have not been cordial in the last few years. So much so that the Nepalese ambassador wanted to meet the foreign secretary there for a long time but it was not possible. India has a very thin relationship with the top political and administrative leadership. Although the previous government sent veteran politician Nilambar Acharya as ambassador, he has not been able to play the expected role in improving relations with India.
Therefore, the challenge of creating an atmosphere of trust with India is on Deuba's shoulders. This responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of Deuba, who publicly stated that Oli could not negotiate with India to bring back Nepali territory after the new map was released last year with the consent of all political parties. Deuba has a big challenge to persuade India to move forward with the border talks. Addressing the parliament, former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai said that Oli had not held any talks with India on the issue of bringing back Nepali territory for a year. He said that the issue of bringing back the land should be taken forward through talks during Deuba's tenure.
If the issue fails to move forward, Deuba will face sharp criticism from opposition parties. As this issue is important in the upcoming election, Deuba has the challenge to make some progress in it. Similarly, India has been the subject of the Enlightened Group's report since 1950. India has been refusing to understand the report of the Enlightened Group prepared in 2018. But, to succeed in all these matters, first of all, India has the challenge of creating an atmosphere of trust at the highest political and administrative levels.
Deuba is facing the challenge of building cordial relations with India as well as China. Although the previous Oli government was close to China for the first few months, relations with China have not progressed much since then. China wants to advance the agreements reached between the two countries. Similarly, China has an internal expectation that railway, road, and other projects will move forward. In particular, the image of the leader, who has good relations with countries in the west of Deuba, and allegations that China has crossed the border in Humla, have raised concerns between the two sides.
Internal improvement
Deuba now has the responsibility to improve the process of appointing ambassadors. Especially during Oli's tenure, the issue of appointing an ambassador became very critical. The directive was secretly changed to make a certain person an ambassador, which even reached the Supreme Court. Therefore, Deuba is challenged to start the process of appointing ambassadors in a transparent and qualified manner to improve international relations and foreign relations. There is a need to build a kind of consensus in the alliance on this issue as well. The practice of sending anyone as an ambassador has tarnished the international image, which Deuba has challenged to improve. In particular, there is a challenge to send an experienced person who can work in big countries including India, China, and the United States as an ambassador.
