July 28, 2006

Nepal ’s two neighbors India and China seem to be pursuing a similar policy on Nepal Maoists

By A CORRESSPONDENT

There is a news like the one in Indian website eNews.com and many others regarding China ’s ‘secret deal’ with Nepalese Maoists. Filed by Nepal-based correspondent of Indian Abroad News Service (IANS), the news seems to have raised eyebrows in the international community

Saran : Short but significant visit

“After spurning Nepal’s Maoist guerrillas during King Gyanendra’s direct rule, China, now realizing the rebels could become part of the new government, has stepped up overtures to them, a gesture that is worrying Nepal as well as international community,” writes IANS.

“It is feared that Beijing could have entered into a “secret deal” to supply weapons to the Maoists in a bid to placate them after its earlier repudiation of them as anti-government forces that tarnished the image of Mao Zedong by calling themselves followers of the late Chinese revolutionary leader’s philosophy. On July 1, three Chinese government officials made a secret trip to Nepal to hold talks with top leaders of the Maoists. Wang Je Chuan, a former counselor at the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu and known to have had contacts with the Maoists during his tenure, was brought in from Bangkok to open negotiations with the guerrillas,” writes IANS Kathmandu-based correspondent.

It is difficult to understand the recent reaction of India – which supported and backed Maoists and Seven Parties Alliance in the signing of the 12-point deal in New Delhi in November – as it seems increasingly worried regarding recent meeting between Chinese officials and Maoist leaders. Like India , China , too, has backed peace process in Nepal urging the Maoists to join the interim government.

When both the governments of India and China are showing similar position on Maoists in Nepal , reactions of Indian news media sensitizing the Chinese contact with Maoists is surprising.

“Supporting the efforts of the new Nepal government in bringing Maoists into the political mainstream, India has urged it to show the ’same united front’ it displayed in restoration of democracy in the Himalayan state,” writes another dispatch of eNews.com.

Although India has yet maintained its official stand about the Maoists as terrorist, officially they have been treated as one of the political forces of Nepal and respectable republican fighters by India . Even during his recent visit to Kathmandu , Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran reportedly told the Prime Minister about the need to bring Maoists in the mainstream. Meanwhile, Chinese vice minister Wu Tawei is also scheduled to visit Kathmandu next week to assess new political developments.

Before Chinese had any contact with these forces, Indian ambassador to Nepal Shiva Shanker Mukharjee received Maoist leaders in the Indian Embassy indicating changing attitudes towards them. Both American and British ambassadors, however, refused to meet them indicating they would not meet them until they renounce violence as well as lay down arms.

The Chinese seem to be much closer with Indian attitude towards Maoists than that of British and American governments. Maintaining the Asian solidarity between India and China , the Chinese seems to have responded to the Maoists with friendly gesture like that of Indian ambassador to Nepal .

The American and British positions towards Maoists are consistent with their global attitudes against terrorism. Having a truly accountable and transparent democracy, the US government cannot treat the Maoists of Nepal as exception. The same is true with the British. But, there seems to be no problem with Indian and Chinese governments in this regard.

They accord their national and security interest highest priority. Chinese scholar professor Wang Hong Wei in his recent interview to Maoist mouthpiece Janadesh indicated that China could have official relations with Maoists at a time when Washington is trying to prevent them from joining the government. Professor Wang Hong Wei also met with Maoist leader Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai in Kavre district, reports say.

The Americans have a preference to Indian hegemony as a democratic leader of South Asian. But due to ignorant and misinformed public opinion, despite democratic paraphernalia, such double dealings, internally or externally, go unhindered in India . China does not claim to be an open and democratic society. India does that but its democracy is still in a developing stage so determinant government in the center is badly influenced by the public opinion of whatever from it may have.

“A new factor is appearing in the relations between India and China after the Maoists showdown in Nepal . The Indian government is seriously alarmed by its own Maoist insurrection in almost one third of rural India ,” said a security expert in Nepal .

But Maoists in Nepal , in the words of former Indian foreign minister K. Natwar Singh, ‘has nothing to do with Maoist ideology’ though thousands of people have lost their lives in Nepal in the name of Maoist struggle. “While believing what a seasoned diplomat and politician like Natwar Singh and several other such persons, a new sensationalized propaganda in Indian press regarding the Chinese meeting Maoist leaders seems to have no logic. It is just like meeting any of the political forces of Nepal as China is best friend of Nepal as well as India , too,” said a former diplomat on condition of anonymity.

“We had academic discussions with professor wong and not as a representative of government,” Dr. Baburam Bhattarai confirmed the meeting.

Perhaps Chinese officials are playing complimentary role with that of India vis-à-vis Maoists. Both India and China have taken the Maoists seriously as a political force and it is up to Maoist leaders to respond to both of them on the basis of equi-distance - which some of the communists in the past have ignored.