New Delhi
18 August 2009
Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal's visit to India's economic capital
Mumbai on Friday will coincide with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's fourth tour to
China in less than a year. Zardari famously remarked last year that "China is the future
of the world" and that he, as the first businessman president of his country, would like to
visit China "every three months".
The Pakistani head of state's visits to China, which is rivalled only by his travels to
Britain and Dubai, stand in sharp contrast to his infrequent visits to the United States.
Pakistan's ties with the US, its biggest benefactor, have come under strain, partly
because of domestic criticism of American military involvement inside Pakistani
territory.
Notwithstanding Beijing's engagement with Islamabad, what will be particularly
worrisome for New Delhi is the frequent visits by Chinese delegations to Nepal. The
heightened Chinese interest prompted Chakra Prasad Bastola, a former Nepalese
foreign minister and former ambassador of Nepal to India, to observe that "visits from
India to Nepal are not even one fourth of the total Chinese visits to our country." Only
three Indian Prime Ministers -- Chandrashekhar, Narasimha Rao and IK Gujral -- have
undertaken bilateral visits to Nepal in the last 18 years.
As the Nepalese premier arrived here Tuesday for a five-day visit, his first official visit to
India since his appointment in May, a Nepalese media report highlighted China's attempt
to influence Nepal's judiciary by getting the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu to write a
letter directly to the Supreme Court, asking it to pass a favourable verdict in a case
related to the closure of an non-government organisation working for Tibetan refugees.
New Delhi believes Mr Nepal's visit would be a useful opportunity to further strengthen
and expand the close bilateral ties. Both sides are likely to ink agreements on trade and
commerce. For his part, Mr Nepal said he was on a goodwill visit. "There is no particular
agenda before me. So, I think, this will strengthen relations between Nepal and India and
will lead to a new height," he told reporters after his arrival here.
Pakistani President Zardari will visit Hangzhou, capital of Zhe Jiang province, and
Guangzhou, capital of Guang Dong province, from August 21 to 25. The two provinces
account for the largest share of trade-volume between China and Pakistan. Zardari last
visited China in April to attend the Baoa Forum on the island of Hainan. In February
2009, President Zardari of Pakistan visited Hubei province and Shanghai. His first visit
to China was in October 2008, which was also his first State visit as President of
Pakistan.
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