Nepal's ruling and opposition lawmakers urge Prime Minister Oli to clarify Chinese claims about agreement on GSI

Kathmandu [Nepal] September 3 : Nepali lawmakers has urged Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to clarify on

the agreement on China's GSI (Global Security Initiative) as claimed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

During the parliamentary session on Wednesday, lawmakers from the ruling Nepali Congress and the opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) urged the Prime Minister to clarify the claims.

"Why and how did the statement (from the Chinese Foreign Ministry) mention Nepal's agreement to the Global Security Initiative (GSI) proposal, which was said not to be on the agenda of the discussion? In this regard, the Prime Minister's Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should clarify in a timely manner," demanded Nepali Congress lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Saturday claiming that PM KP Sharma Oli expressed support for China's Global Security Initiative (GSI) during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The bilateral meeting took place in Tianjin, China, on the sidelines of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and the "SCO Plus" gathering.

The Embassy of Nepal in Beijing, which also issued a statement about the meeting between Prime Minister Oli and President Xi, made no mention of any support for the GSI.

Similarly, China's Foreign Ministry made no comment about the Lipulekh issue, which was clearly stated in the Nepali embassy's release.

The GSI, a security framework proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in April 2022, aims to promote a new model of international security that, according to Beijing, is based on mutual respect, cooperation, and non-confrontation.

Demanding clarification from the government over the unilateral claims made by the Chinese side, opposition lawmaker Prakash Jwala from the CPN-US demanded for government's clarification over the claims.

"After the meeting of (Nepali) Prime Minister KP Oli with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to China, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement stating that Nepal supports the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilisation Initiative proposed by China.

The statement said, "Nepal supports the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilisation Initiative proposed by China." The Government of Nepal has not made its official position public on this issue to date," Prakash Jwala, lawmaker from the CPN-US, as well as a former Minister, said.

"According to the Constitution of Nepal, Nepal is committed to a non-aligned foreign policy. Nepal cannot stand in favor of any military strategy. If the Prime Minister supports the GSI, we are in danger of falling into the security trap of powerful countries.

That would be suicidal and self-defeating. The government should immediately make its official position public on this issue," Jwala further added.

The statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued on 30th August states, "Nepal has expressed support for the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI) proposed by China."

Among these initiatives, some GDI programs have already been implemented in Nepal. But Nepal has consistently rejected the GSI, saying it contradicts the country's non-aligned foreign policy. Nepal maintains that the GSI is a strategic, security-oriented initiative and that it cannot join such strategic blocs amid rising global multi-polarity.

China has a long history of making unilateral claims in its statements ,which usually aren't true. Earlier, the Chinese ambassadors in Kathmandu had publicly stated that many projects, including the Pokhara airport, were part of the BRI, despite Nepal never officially confirming it.

Former Chinese ambassador Hou Yanqi and the current ambassador Chen Song have both faced criticism for such claims. Because Chinese diplomats often claim agreements that were never actually made, Nepal often finds itself in a dilemma over whether to trust everything China says.

Ever since Chinese President Xi introduced the GSI in 2022, Beijing has consistently pressured Nepal to join the initiative. This isn't the first time suspicion has arisen over China trying to push the GSI onto Nepal. On 5 October 2022, then-President Bidya Devi Bhandari sent a video message to a GSI-related conference, prompting criticism at home.

Despite the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advising against it, Bhandari participated, allegedly under the influence of the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu, which had lobbied political leaders, including PM Sher Bahadur Deuba.

There are multiple examples of China pushing the GSI during bilateral visits and meetings. On 29 December 2022, Liu Jinsong, Director-General of the Asia Department of China's Foreign Ministry, urged Nepal's then-ambassador Bishnu Pukar Shrestha to support the GSI. China even released a statement about the meeting, but Nepal's embassy didn't respond publicly. Shrestha admitted he was approached but refused, citing Nepal's non-aligned foreign policy.

Six months later, on 12 June 2023, during a visit to China, Nepal's then-National Assembly Chair Ganesh Timilsina was again approached with the proposal by Zhao Leji, chairman of the standing committee of China's National People's Congress.

Several other senior Chinese officials, including Wang Yi and Liu Jianchao, have brought up the GSI in discussions with Nepali counterparts.

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