Foreign Minister Rana departs for China without 'consensus' on BRI

Kathmandu, November 28 — Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba has left for China without an agreement on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). She departed on Thursday at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to prepare for Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s upcoming visit to China.

The ruling parties were preparing to send an agreement through Foreign Minister Rana regarding the BRI. To achieve this, the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML) held discussions throughout Wednesday. However, as no consensus was reached, Rana traveled to China without an agreed document.

The Chinese side had sent a proposal regarding the BRI, and a delegation was formed to discuss it. The team included Prime Minister Oli’s political advisor Bishnu Rimal, economic advisor Yubaraj Khatiwada from the UML, and General Secretary Gagan Thapa from the Nepali Congress. Prime Minister Oli was personally involved in Wednesday's discussions.

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak also participated. Although preparations were made to finalize the document and send it with Minister Rana, an agreement could not be reached.

Congress spokesperson Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat stated that Congress had provided its suggestions on the Chinese proposal to Prime Minister Oli, who planned to finalize the document before sending it to China.

The Congress and UML have been working to establish a joint position on the BRI. Congress stated that if the Chinese side agrees to the shared document, the agreement for implementing the BRI would be signed during Prime Minister Oli’s visit to China. Both parties agree that all projects and assistance from China should be under the BRI framework. However, China has not agreed to provide all BRI projects as grants.

Foreign Minister Rana is scheduled to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on Friday to discuss the BRI and other agenda items. Efforts are ongoing to reach an agreement between the two parties on the BRI proposal. Sources indicate that attempts are being made to finalize the document based on Congress’s suggestions.

While there is near agreement between Congress and the UML to accept the BRI under grant assistance rather than loans, disagreements remain over the methods, processes, and specific terminology in the document. Congress has suggested revisions to terms such as "security" and "strategic partnership," which could have dual interpretations.

Sources suggest that after the meeting between Ministers Rana and Wang, Prime Minister Oli’s visit to China will be formally announced. Minister Rana is expected to return to Nepal on November 30 and join Prime Minister Oli for his visit to China on December 2.