Nepal's expanding relations with China should not "irritate" India, a senior leader of the ruling CPN-UML said today, asserting that Nepal would not accept anyone's "hegemony".
"We want to establish relations with both the neighbouring countries (China and India) on the basis of equality, which should not cause irritation to any of the countries," said Pradip Gyawali, a Central Committee member of the party.
"As an independent and sovereign country, it is upto Nepal to decide what type of relations we want to maintain with which country, and we will not accept anyone's hegemony," he said talking to journalists in Banke district of western Nepal.
The ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) hailed the agreements inked by Nepal with China during the ongoing visit of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.
"These bilateral cooperation deals are highly significant which help achieving long-term socio-economic development goals to Nepal on its own," the CPN-ML said in a statement.
The deals have opened new gateway for diversifying Nepal's trade, the party said underlining the need for a swift implementation of these accords.
"The bilateral deals reached between the two countries on trade diversification, cross border connectivity, infrastructure development, investment, reconstruction, energy, tourism and business have a long-term significance for Nepal's socio-economic development," the party said.
Oli arrived in China on March 20 and the two sides signed 10 agreements including for a transit treaty and rail links during his talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.
The transit treaty reduces landlocked Nepal's dependence on India as it sources most of imports and exports through Kolkata port.
Nepal looks to source its supplies through the arduous Himalayan route through Tibet, which many analysts say will be an expensive proposition for Nepal considering easy proximity through the Indian border.
During the recent Madhesi agitation, Prime Minister Oli and other leaders had alleged that India had imposed an "undeclared blockade" on Nepal to back the Indian-origin Madhesis. India had firmly denied imposing the blockade.
Meanwhile, president of the Federal Socialist Forum Nepal, Upendra Yadav said that China's move to welcome the new constitution in Nepal has no meaning.
Speaking at an interaction programme here, Yadav said that China's backing to the new constitution is meaningless as a significant number of people within the country are yet to own it.
Yadav also claimed that the Trade and Transit Treaty inked
between Nepal and China during Oli's China visit was in the interest of China and warned to launch a new Madhesi agitation if their demands were not met by mid-April.
"The government has done nothing till date regarding meeting our demands," said Yadav.
Issuing a joint statement with Nepal on Wednesday, China had welcomed the new constitution and regarded it as a "historic progress" in the political transition of Nepal.
Yadav's statement comes a day after leaders of half a dozen agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) held a breakfast meeting with Indian envoy Ranjit Rae at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu yesterday.
The Madhesis, mostly of Indian origin, have been demanding the new Constitution be amended to include their concerns about adequate political representation and redrawing of federal boundaries.
They had enforced months-long blockade of Nepal's all trading points with India, creating huge shortage of essential commodities in the country.
