Though this group's planned anti-China demonstration at this time clearly speaks of its immediate intention of giving a bad name to China vis--vis the Beijing Olympic Games, a closer look at the same time informs that these demonstrations in the longer term inherently target Nepal's sovereignty and territorial integrity in Kathmandu, the seat of Nepal's central authority.
History is witness to the fact that whenever China and Nepal narrowly defined their national interest, each suffered by the machinations of the aggressive and interfering forces. So it happened, for example, in 1814-16 when Nepal alone had to fight the invading Britain, and, Tibet did not receive help from Nepal when British India engineered armed expedition to Tibet in 1904.
Now climbing down the Mount Qomolangma and, proactively addressing foreign aggression and interference against national integrity and harmonious development, China and Nepal need to promote a comprehensive framework of cultural diplomacy.
Contents of this diplomacy should be entrepreneurially strategic, and the guiding principles should be mutual trust and co-existence characterized by courage and devoid of any appeasement. Chinese people have a saying, "Ivory can not grow on a jackal's mouth."
The author is secretary-general of the China Study Center in Nepal
(China Daily July 29, 2008)
