Nepal-China ties get a ‘happy’ boost with new leftist PM, but India and US wary
- Nepal’s previous government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba was seen to be pursuing stronger ties with India and the US
- Analysts also expect the new government to expedite and prioritise Belt and Road Initiative projects in Nepal
![Nepal’s new Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda. Photo: Reuters](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2022/12/27/684602dc-fcd2-4133-a532-d0d4127482f1_7789bf75.jpg?itok=zVbHA-LF&v=1672154736)
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, more popularly known as Prachanda – meaning fearless – ditched his alliance partner the Nepali Congress (NC) to install a communist-led government in Kathmandu with rival KP Sharma Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist).
![Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Nepal’s then-Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli during a visit to Kathmandu in 2019. Photo: Xinhua Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Nepal’s then-Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli during a visit to Kathmandu in 2019. Photo: Xinhua](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2022/12/28/8d7d5a15-1b05-451f-932c-9b0fdb2de438_9391a290.jpg)
Oli, once labelled a “pro-China” leader by Chinese tabloids, has been fiercely critical of New Delhi and is seen to favour a greater role for Beijing in Kathmandu. Prachanda has called for “equal ties” with both China and India, instead of insisting on a “special relationship” with Delhi as Nepali politicians have done in the past.
While there are questions surrounding the new alliance’s stability – Prachanda and Oli had a public falling out just last year – the new government will enjoy a minimum of two years in power if it establishes an electoral majority in parliament, under Nepal’s constitution.
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