May 21, 2024

The economic struggle driving Nepali citizens to foreign military engagement, particularly in  the Russia-Ukraine conflict, has raised concerns, with seven reported deaths and over 200  individuals still serving in Russian forces. Despite government efforts, the involvement persists  through unconventional paths. On a positive note, Nepal and Sri Lanka strengthen ties through  the Joint Commission, fostering collaboration across various sectors. The tourism industry's  positive rebound, marked by nearly one million visitors and a diverse global presence,  highlights its potential as a diplomatic tool, emphasizing the need for infrastructure  enhancement. However, as experts suggest, the preference for roads over railways brings  attention to strategic shifts in infrastructure development. 

May 20, 2024

In October, concerns over pre-existing mini-projects within Nepal's Belt and Road Forum document highlighted the need for BRI transparency. Nepal's UN vote for a West Asia humanitarian truce prioritized global peace and citizen safety, while UN Secretary-General Guterres' visit showcased Nepal's strategic importance in climate leadership and diplomacy. Bilateral visits between Nepal and the US strengthened ties, emphasizing the significance of the MCC partnership.

Mar 22, 2024

Nepali citizens are being recruited as soldiers abroad, notably in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The death of six soldiers recently raised concerns about national security and highlighted the diplomatic complexities of repatriation of the bodies. Another critical issues that demanded attention was the capture and detention of Mr. Bipin Joshi was held hostage by Hamas. On a positive note, there was some progress in resolving border disputes and enhancing security cooperation with India.
 

Nov 03, 2023

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda's visit to China from September 23 to 30, coinciding with the Asian Games, highlighted the current status of Nepal-China relations and the shifting priorities of each country. Meanwhile, at the UNGA78, Nepal sought international support, especially for climate action. During the same month, Nepal and India signed a power agreement allowing Nepal to purchase 10,000 MW of electricity. This agreement marks an important step in Nepal's energy development, with improved cross-border infrastructure and access to India's real-time electricity market. The agreement is expected to promote economic growth and expand Nepal's energy sector.
 

Sep 21, 2023

In August, Nepal witnessed developments in its international relations, with the commencement of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) project in partnership with the US. A US anti-corruption official's visit underscored the commitment to transparent governance and anti-corruption efforts. Power agreements with India, China's security assistance, and territorial disputes added complexity to Nepal's diplomatic landscape. Participation in the China-South Asia Expo aimed at boosting economic ties, while Prime Minister Prachanda's upcoming visits to the UN General Assembly and China held diplomatic and developmental significance, highlighting the intricate interplay of diplomacy, security, and development in Nepal's foreign relations.
 

Aug 24, 2023

July brought significant diplomatic changes for Nepal. China launched the Silk Roadster project in response to BRI challenges, with CPC Politburo members visiting for project execution. Finance Minister Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat emphasized collaborative projects and trade at India's G-20 finance ministerial meeting. Nepal's partnership with the US continued with a visit by US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu. Amid these changes, Nepal carefully evaluated its national interests and long-term sustainability.
 

Jul 19, 2023

The month of June witnessed significant visits from foreign envoys. The much anticipated visit of the Prime Minister (PM) to India ended with favorable economic accomplishments. Three sets of Nepali delegation headed to China for political exchanges and official visit respectively. Nepal established formal diplomatic tie with Marshall Island and Republic of Cameroon summing-up Nepal’s diplomatic terrain to a total of 181 countries.
 

Jun 21, 2023

On international front, Nepali delegations went on high level visits to Bangladesh, UK, India, and China. Dignitaries from Norway and Australia also visited Nepal for strengthening cooperation on different ends. The official visit of PM Puspha Kamal Dahal to India is scheduled from 31^st May to 3^rd June. Russia has actively shown interests in development projects in Nepal.
 

May 08, 2023

On the international front, there were official visits from Nepal to China and UK. Nepal also officially assumed the group of LDCs, led by Ambassador Amrit Bahadur Rai. The visit of PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal expected to happen in April has been delayed again until June. And there were two different consultation mechanisms meetings between Nepal & China and Nepal & UK respectively; the 15th Bilateral Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism meeting on 7th of April and the 6th meeting of Nepal-UK Bilateral Consultation Mechanism meeting on 26th April, both led by Foreign Secretary, Mr. Bharat Raj Paudyal.

Apr 13, 2023

Foreign engagements, deals and visits highlighted the month of March. 

Mar 24, 2023

On the international front, February kicked off with several high-profile visits following the formation of the Prachanda-led government. On February 8, Nepal received a visit from the head of the USAID, Samantha Power. She announced a USD 58.5 million grant by USAID to Nepal. EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen also briefly visited Nepal. Four days later, Deputy Foreign Secretary of the US, Afreen Akhter arrived in Kathmandu for a two-day visit. On the same day, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra arrived in Kathmandu for a two-day visit as well. China released a concept paper on GSI late in February, calling on countries to adopt the policy – Nepal hasn’t provided an official position on the matter yet.

Feb 17, 2023

The new year kicked off with the arrival of the new Chinese Ambassador to Nepal on January 08, 2023. The Chinese Ambassador on arrival interacted with the media where he mentioned strengthening bilateral relations and extending China’s assistance to safeguard the sovereignty of Nepal. The Chinese envoy’s initial interaction with the media and engagement with the political leaders indicates China’s assertive engagements in Nepal’s political landscape. Nepal also welcomed Victor Nuland, the undersecretary of the US on January 29, 2023. On her visit, interactions were held with the Prime Minister, political leaders, and officials. In her interaction with the media, she expressed her concern on Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), issues of corruption, transitional justice among others. She also spoke that Nepal should prioritize its sovereign while building economic relations with its neighbor. Alongside this, Nepal - US military exercise kicked off in Nepal in the same month.

Jan 25, 2023

The realignment in coalition to form the federal government, although, was home-grown, it nonetheless has geopolitical connotations and implications attached to it. Since Beijing has been pushing for the communist coalition in Nepal for years, China has been upbeat since two main communist parties joined hands to form the government and has sought to increase its political engagements. Immediately after the government formation, on 27 December, the Chinese expert-team arrived in Kathmandu to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Kathmandu – Keyrung Railway. And on 28 December, China opened up the Rasuwa-Keyrung border which has remained closed for three years from 2020. Further, although the Pokhara International Airport (PIA) hasn’t been included in the nine proposed projects to be carried out under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, China nonetheless claimed the PIA as the BRI’s flagship project, on December 31, just a day before its inauguration. This false claim drew flak from across the spectrum. The PM Dahal government has sought to not tilt towards any sides, and maintain amicable ties with all powers. However, China’s proclivity to extend its influence over Nepal through ties with communist parties remains a challenge. The path ahead is tricky – and if or not, the Dahal government becomes able to maintain geopolitical balance, is yet to be seen.

Jan 05, 2023

The month of November saw a few important diplomatic visits. President Bhandari paid a visit to Iceland for an award ceremony. Chinese Vice Minister for Culture and Tourism, Li Qun arrived Nepal for a five-day visit in the midst of election, while the Indian envoy to Nepal, Naveen Shrivastav, paid visit to Prime Minister Deuba twice within a week, post-election. The Chinese blacklisted contractor being awarded to construct Kathmandu-Terai-Madhes Highway also brought speculations from across the spectrum.

Dec 17, 2022

As the country is still grappling with COVID-19 pandemic, the government had called out for international support. In response to government’s request for help to

Dec 17, 2022

Since the appointment of the new PM, the US has been actively engaging with the Deuba and other ministers. The US provided 1.5 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines to Nepal

Dec 16, 2022

The newly formed coalition government in Nepal led by Sher Bahadur Deuba divulged the Common Minimum Program (CMP) also on August. The General Secretary of Nepali

Dec 16, 2022

The newly appointed foreign minister Dr. Narayan Khadka emphasized on building national consensus amongst party regarding foreign relations. The foreign minister participated in

Dec 16, 2022

Nepal’s diplomatic endeavors has taken a pace, whether it be government level initiatives or party level linkage building with both India and China. India’s ruling party has appreciated and reciprocated Nepal’s

Dec 14, 2022

Nepal is once again in a tough place geopolitically. The congress led government is resetting its bilateral ties with India in multiple fronts. India has also been

Dec 14, 2022

The US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jingping held a virtual meeting on November 15 marking their first formal meeting in which the leaders discussed collaboration on global issues of climate change and security.

Dec 13, 2022

Considering Nepal’s geopolitical sensitivity and geostrategic prominence, the US and emerging global powers and neighboring states India and China have been trying

Dec 13, 2022

After the Supreme Court overturned then Prime Minister Oli’s move to dissolve the parliament on February 23, he began to put on a show of sorts and inciting religious nationalism

Dec 13, 2022

The parliament’s International Relations Committee has formed a ‘Foreign Policy Study Sub-committee to study the overall foreign affairs of the country.

Dec 12, 2022

On February 6, a letter jointly endorsed by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and NCP (Maoist-center) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal to MCC headquarters was disclosed.

Dec 12, 2022

On the diplomatic front, the flurry of high-level foreign visits and engagements indicate that Nepal has once again found itself amidst heightened geopolitical activity. While Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi’s visit after the ratification of the MCC compact was more symbolic in nature, there was little headway on BRI. Prime Minister Deuba’s visit to India right after

Dec 12, 2022

On May 16, The State Department of the United States announced that the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues Uzra Zeya will be travelling to Nepal and India. Her visit would be the first visit of a US undersecretary to Nepal in over a decade.

Dec 11, 2022

The State Partnership Program (SPP) and a possible military cooperation between Nepal and the United States has once again triggered debates over sovereignty and national integrity only a few months after the MCC debacle was laid to rest with an eventual parliamentary ratification. According to the national guard website, SPP is a “partner focused, strategically aligned” program administered by the National Guard Bureau of the United States that conducts military-to-military engagements in support of defence security goals becoming a key U.S. security cooperation tool, facil

Dec 11, 2022

Recently appointed International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China, Liu Jianchao visited Nepal leading a seven-member delegation from July 9-13. During his visit, he met with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as well as communist leaders amidst rumors of an electoral cooperation among communist forces. After meeting with the Chinese delegation, the Maoist 

Dec 11, 2022

In the month of August, the Agnipath scheme controversy resonated in Nepal and India. The Indian government enquired Deuba government to send their views on the scheme, in this response the Foreign Minister Khadka held a meeting with Ambassador Srivastav and requested India to stop the recruitment until all political parties reach consensus on this issue. Alongside this, Foreign Minister Khadka’s to hold a bilateral talk with the State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China H. E. Mr Wang Yi leading their respective delegations in Qingdao, China three days visit to China. Over the years, China’s strategy in exte

Dec 11, 2022

 The Chief of Army staff of Indian Army General Manoj Pande conferred the title of Honorary rank of General of Nepal Army by President Bidya Devi Bhandari with a special ceremony at Sheetal Niwas, Kathmandu. General Pande was also presented a sword and a scroll. Earlier in the day, sapling was planted in the premises of Army headquarters.

Dec 11, 2022

Nepal voted in favor of the UN resolution along with 143 countries which condemns Russia’s decision to annex four regions of Ukraine. The decision to vote against Russian annexation is consistent with Nepal’s position to actively seek f

Jun 15, 2023

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) concluded his four-day visit to New Delhi, India on June 3rd, 2023. This marked PM Dahal’s first foreign visit after nearly five months of assuming office in his third-time Premiership.

Jan 10, 2023

Li Zhanshu, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress arrived in Kathmandu on September 12 leading a 67-member delegation for a 4 - day visit.

Dec 10, 2022

The visit of MCC vice president Fatema Z Sumar and deputy vice president Jonathan Brooks in the second week of
September triggered the ongoing years old debate over the MCC grant to Nepal to a new level. On the eve of top
officials visit to Nepal, MCC sent back the replies to 11 major questions along with other supplementary questions,
Nepal’s finance minister had forwar

Dec 10, 2022

Since 2018, OCHR has been negotiating with China for visiting Xinjiang with“unfettered, meaningful access” and the freedom to interview civil society groups without supervision. On March 2022, the negotiation led to an agreement “on the parameters that respects methodology”, including “unfettered access to a broad range of actors, including civil society”.

Dec 10, 2022

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been ongoing since 24 February 2022. Even though Russia and Ukraine have been at war since 2014, Russia has now entered Ukraine for the past 5 weeks using military force. Many are killed, infrastructures destroyed and now an attack on Mariupol is ongoing. Russia’s att

Dec 10, 2022

The State Partnership Program (SPP) has become the new geopolitical hot potato in Nepal only a few months after the MCC debacle was laid to rest with an eventual parliamentary ratification. While SPP began as a humanitarian and disaster response training program, according to the national

Dec 11, 2022

CESIF (Center for Social Inclusion and Federalism) organized a webinar on September 27, 2021, to discuss on the topic of Nepal’s connectivity with China. The webinar was opened by Shraddha Ghimire, a research fellow at CESIF by presenting the key findings of her research titled ‘Nepal-China Transit Transport Agreement (TTA): An Analysis’. The presentation was followed by remarks and comments from the guest speakers.

Dec 11, 2022

Centre for Social Inclusion and Federalism (CESIF), Nepal organized a discussion on Ranjit Rae’s Kathmandu Dilemma: Resetting India-Nepal Ties which took place on 25th October, 2021, at The Soaltee Kathmandu. Discussant panel included: noted author – Amish Mulmi; Assistant Professor – Apekshya Shah; eminent scholar, Prof. Dr. Lokraj Baral; former Prime Minister and Chairperson of CPN- Maoist, Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda); professor and chairman of CESIF Nepal – Vijay Kant Karna, and the author himself, Ranjit Rae.

Dec 11, 2022

Centre for Social Inclusion and Federalism (CESIF), Nepal organized a webinar on Nepal-India Border Relations on 26th November, 2021. Discussants included: Ajaya Bhadra Khanal, Research Director at CESIF Nepal. Summera Shrestha, Executive Director for Women for Human Rights. Senior Journalist and Analyst, Chandrakishore and Hon’ble Malamati Rana, Member of the P

Dec 11, 2022

On January 28, 2022, the Center for Social Inclusion and Federalism (CESIF) organized a virtual discussion entitled “Nepal’s Cross-border Relations with China.” CESIF’s researcher, Ms. Shraddha Ghimire presented her findings for the research on the same topic at the webinar. Discussants for the topic included Honorable Mr. Divya Mani Rajbhandari, a member of the Foreig

Dec 11, 2022

With 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties, relationship with the US has been significant in Nepal’s foreign policy. The long-established relationship has undergone transformations over the years, guided by shifts in global hegemon

Dec 10, 2022

 Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s visit to India was canceled after the Gujrat state government suspended the
    Vibrant Gujrat Summit due to increasing Covid-19 cases. However, both the countries have laid the basis for PM’s
    visit, such as signing eight memorandums of understanding in various sectors. Thus, Deuba is likely to visit India
    soon.

Dec 10, 2022

Traders and businesspersons protested the undeclared border blockade in Kerung and Tatopani checkpoints in Kathmandu on January 12. As per the customs office, only nine trucks from Kerung and 11 from Tatopani are allowed to enter Nepal. Previously, 200 to 250 containers of goods entered Nepal daily. Earlier, there used to be correspondence with Chinese counterparts. However, even that has halted since the Covid-19 crisis struck the country

Dec 10, 2022

Nepal has been elected a member of four UN bodies, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination
 against Women (CEDAW), the UN Commission on Narcotics (CND), the UN Commission on Population and Development (CPD),
 and the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD).

Dec 10, 2022

Israel sent the consignment of 563 thousand syringes to Nepal on February 2. This consignment is an addition to
    previous assistance to help the Nepal government combat Covid-19.

Dec 10, 2022

Nepal received 800,000 doses of Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccines from the U.K. through the COVAX facility on February 8. This is a part of 2.1 million AstraZeneca vaccines that the U.K. pledged to provide Nepal.