Nepal

The bilateral ties between India and Nepal are normalising after a short period of sluggishness and misunderstandings. There are visible signals that the relations are set to improve. During his upcoming visit to India, Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is seeking to strengthen ties with India in the areas of trade, investment, connectivity and healthcare. But the main feature would be the launch of cross border railway project that is funded by India.

India and Nepal share a deep historical bilateral relationship which has continued to strengthen over time, given the high number of geopolitical and geoeconomic convergences between the two. The outstanding border issues between the neighbours are also likely to be discussed during Deuba's visit, thus opening doors for a productive dialogue on the same and contributing towards a rejuvenated relationship between New Delhi and Kathmandu.

Deuba's visit comes just a few days after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Nepal. China has been pushing its Belt and Road Initiative to invest in development projects in Nepal. Wang visited Nepal weeks after Nepal's Parliament approved a contentious half-billion-dollar aid grant from the US. This US grant had irked China.

This will be Deuba's first foreign visit after assuming office in July 2021. According to Nepal's MoFA, the three-day visit is taking place at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Deuba will be accompanied by his wife, Arzu Rana Deuba. According to the MoFA statement, the entourage of PM Deuba will comprise Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka, other senior ministers and secretaries and officials.

Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said China is willing to join hands with Nepal to cement friendship between the two countries and safeguard regional peace. At a meeting with Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda on Sunday, Wang added that China cherishes the traditional friendship with Nepal that has lasted for generations, Xinhua news agency reported.

Nepal and China signed six agreements related to various projects on Saturday. The Foreign Ministers of Nepal and China, Narayan Khadka and Wang Yi, respectively, witnessed the signing and exchange of agreements, MoUs and documents after delegation-level talks. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of the agreements is on a technical assistance scheme for the China-aided feasibility study of the cross-border railway.

According to local media reports, Deuba's trip comes on the heels of an invitation by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, which the Nepali leader has accepted. The visit will take place shortly after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concludes his three-day Nepal visit on March 27. As per the existing plan, Deuba will travel to Delhi on April 1, hold talks with Modi and other Indian politicians the next day and return home on April 3, the local media reports said.

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday thanked his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for evacuating Nepali nationals who were stranded in the war-torn Ukraine.Taking to Twitter, Deuba said: "Four Nepali nationals have just arrived in Nepal from Ukraine via India. Thank you Prime Minister

A large section of Nepali society was divided over whether Nepal should adopt the American grant which is often referred to as part of US "Indo-Pacific Strategy". Mostly, the Communist parties of Nepal were opposing the MCC Compact which had led the Sher Bahadur Deuba government in a state of collapse.

Nepal signed the Millennium Challenge Corporation pact to fund infrastructure projects in 2017 and it has been a bone of contention between the US and China. Several people were injured in the demonstrations outside the Parliament in Kathmandu. Groups opposing the US funding have said it undermines Nepal's sovereignty, the report said.