Lekhnath Pandey
The Himalayan Times (Nepal)
September 12, 2010

KATHMANDU -- The visiting high-level Chinese
delegation has expedited talks with the top brass
of major political parties after arrival in Kathmandu today afternoon.

The 21-member delegation, led by He Yong,
vice-premier and secretary at the secretariat of
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
(CPC) first met with UCPN-Maoist leaders, then
Nepali Congress leaders at Hotel Soaltee. During
an hour-long meeting, UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa
Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ urged the Chinese leaders
to focus on enhancing people-to-people relations
and ties between the UCPN-M and CPC.

Vice chairmen Mohan Baidhya, Dr Baburam
Bhattarai, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Foreign
Department Chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara and
Steering Committee member Dev Gurung were also present at the meeting.

They discussed the political stalemate, peace
process and bilateral cooperation. "We are fully
committed to the successful conclusion of the
peace process," Shrestha said quoting Prachanda.

Prachanda reassured the Chinese officials about
his party’s continued one-China policy, and said
the UCPN-M would not tolerate any activity
against Beijing on the Tibet issue, on Nepali soil.

Neither the Chinese delegates nor embassy staff
in Kathmandu were available for comments.
Shrestha, however, said that Beijing sees Nepal
as an independent, sovereign country committed to
its territorial integrity. “We have clear policy
of not interfering in any country’s internal
matter and want to see this in Nepal from other
countries as well,” Shrestha quote Secretary He.

Responding to Prachanda’s request, He said the
CPC is willing to boost ties between Nepali and
Chinese communist parties and people-to-people
contacts as well. After UCPN-M leaders, Secretary
He met Nepali Congress Acting President Sushil
Koirala and Vice President Prakash Man Singh.
Koirala said they discussed strengthening
party-to-party relations and the peace process in
Nepal. “China emphasised its non-interference
policy in Nepal’s internal matter and urged the
parties to complete the peace process through consensus on time,” Singh said.

He’s visit comes in the backdrop of failure on
the part of Nepal’s political parties to form a
government even two months after Nepal’s resignation.

The delegation is scheduled to meet President Dr
Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Madhav Kumar
Nepal on Saturday morning. A meeting with CPM-UML
Chairman Jhalanath Khanal is scheduled for the afternoon.