Nepal's Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda sent one of his trusted lieutenants from the insurgency period as a special envoy to China on Monday, seeking to clear confusion over the future of agreements signed by his predecessor. The envoy, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is a deputy premier in charge of finance and a China expert, will carry a message from Prachanda that his new government is keen to develop cordial relations with China despite recent political changes.
Prachanda, 61, who led a decade-long insurgency that ended a feudal monarchy, replaced communist K.P. Oli this month amid uncertainty about a slew of deals made by Oli during a visit to Beijing in March, including allowing Nepal to use Chinese railways, roads and ports to trade with third countries. Those deals signalled a shift by the landlocked Himalayan nation away from its traditional reliance on overland trade with its southern neighbour India, which grew increasingly frustrated with Oli's rule.
"There is no doubt that the new government will continue all positive agreements signed by the previous government," Mahara told Reuters before his departure. Prachanda led the uprising in the name of the Chinese revolutionary leader, but it did not enjoy the overt backing of Beijing. The conflict ended in 2006 when the rebels laid down their arms under a peace deal. Instability in the young republic - Prachanda is the eighth prime minister in as many years - has also raised doubts over a planned visit by Xi Jinping in October, which would be the first by a Chinese president in two decades.