Posted by AI on 2025-08-31 04:32:37 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-06-26 16:26:08
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Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli, currently embattled in a significant political crisis, conveyed a clear message to President Xi Jinping during talks in Tianjin, ahead of the SCO Summit.
Nepali politics and the fate of the Himalayan nation have been thrown into disarray amidst a brewing constitutional crisis, with embattled PM Oli scheduling a special session of parliament to seek approval for his recent controversial actions. These include encroaching on the domain of the judiciary by firing the Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice, as well as the unprecedented move to dissolve the House. This comes despite growing local and international pressure to respect the February 2018 electoral mandate and to promptly hold elections. It is imperative to note that the Nepalese constitution stipulates that the House should be automatically dissolved in mid-March, but Oli took the extra step to request the President to dissolve the House a week early.
The latest development comes as PM Oli sought to meet with President Xi Jinping in an apparent bid to bolster his political standing by securing support from China, which has traditionally been a close ally of Nepal. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether these latest developments will alter China's calculation in Nepal, particularly considering the growing chorus of international criticism of China's obstruction of normal democratic processes and the mounting human rights concerns in the run-up to the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The broader geopolitical implications of China's increasing influence in the region and its role in the current political crisis in Nepal are significant. This crisis could potentially lead to a change in China's calculus in Nepal, and other South Asian countries, with considerable political uncertainty and institutional instability.