Kathmandu: During a meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) today, several lawmakers demanded that the government clarify its alleged support for China’s Global Security Initiative (GSI), reportedly expressed during Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s recent visit to China. The session saw lawmakers raising concerns over the implications of Nepal’s stance on international relations and its longstanding foreign policy.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the lawmakers also sought the government’s stance on the Prime Minister’s participation in a special military parade organized in Beijing on Wednesday. This parade marked the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance. Rajendra Prasad Pandey of the CPN (Unified Socialist) expressed his party’s need for clarity on whether Nepal’s support for the GSI was official, following claims made by the Chinese side after a meeting between the Prime Minister and the Chinese President.
Pandey further argued that the Prime Minister’s participation in the parade contradicts Nepal’s non-aligned foreign policy and the principles of Panchsheel, urging the Prime Minister to address the matter in Parliament. While thanking the Prime Minister for raising concerns about the India-China bilateral agreement on developing Lipulek as a trade transit point, Pandey called for maintaining this position during the upcoming visit to India.
Dhawal Shumsher JB Rana of the RPP also highlighted the potential serious consequences for Nepal if the support for the GSI is confirmed to be official. Similarly, Ashok Kumar Chaudhary of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) noted his party’s stance on regulating social media, emphasizing the need for diplomatic efforts to enforce the court’s verdict on this issue.
Chaudhary also criticized the government’s handling of disaster management and disease control, highlighting the delay in identifying the source of the recent cholera outbreak in Birgunj, which has persisted for over a week and a half.