By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : A seven-member Chinese delegation met Maoist chief Prachanda here Monday in a bid to strengthen ties with a once underground party that Beijing had earlier shunned, accusing it of tarnishing Mao’s image.
The delegation headed by Wang Jiarui, minister of the International Department of the central committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met Prachanda to know what was holding up peace negotiations, especially the critical constituent assembly election.
After the meeting, a cheerful Prachanda told the media that he had allayed fears that his party was against the election and would abandon the peace process.
“How can a party that made such a sacrifice for the election be against it?” Prachanda reportedly told the envoy. “We will take part in the polls.”
China, like other members of the international community, has expressed its desire for the twice-postponed election to be held at the earliest. Recently, it sent substantial poll-related materials to Nepal.
Prachanda told the delegation that Nepal needed to abolish the monarchy and adopt a fully proportional election system to create an environment for free and fair polls.
The Maoist leader also expressed his concern that foreign governments were trying to intervene in Nepal. Wang reiterated Beijing’s stand that it would not interfere in Nepal’s internal matters.
This is an echo of the stand taken by China two years ago when King Gyanendra seized absolute power with the help of the army and the international community, barring China and Pakistan, condemned the move.
China also continued diplomatic relations with the royal regime and sold it arms to fight the Maoists.
Immediately after the fall of the royal government last year, Beijing started making overtures to the new government of parties opposed to the monarchy.
Besides garnering Nepal’s support for its One China policy, which holds that Tibet and Taiwan are inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing now also wants to keep an eye on the increasing UN activities in Nepal.
The Chinese delegation has also met the leaders of the two other major parties, the Communist party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist and Nepali Congress as well as Foreign Minister Sahana Pradhan.
However, a scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala fell through since the octogenarian premier is unwell and has been advised rest by his doctors.
Since the formation of the new government, China has also been lavishly taking Maoists, journalists and politicians on junkets to China. But Koirala’s China trip, despite a standing invitation, has not yet materialised.