PM Balen’s Meeting Protocol Sparks Diplomatic Debate as US and Chinese Officials Flock to Kathmandu
Kathmandu — India’s prominent daily, Navbharat Times, has published a detailed analysis of the meeting style and protocols adopted by Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah. According to the report published on the newspaper’s online portal, following the formation of the new government in Nepal, a new diplomatic norm has emerged where foreign envoys are compelled to meet with the Foreign Minister rather than the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Balendra Shah has reportedly set a protocol that he will not meet with foreign officials below his own rank, which has altered the schedules and expectations of visiting dignitaries.
In recent weeks, a succession of high-ranking US officials have either visited or are preparing to visit Nepal. Last week, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Sameer Paul Kapur, completed a three-day visit. Now, the US Ambassador to India and a close confidant of President Donald Trump, Special Envoy Sergio Gor, is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on April 30 for a four-day visit. Gor is currently serving as the US Ambassador to India and is known to be extremely close to President Trump.
Given the Prime Minister’s stated policy of not meeting with foreign officials below the rank of minister, diplomatic circles are abuzz with speculation over whether Gor—an influential figure who does not hold the formal position of minister—will be granted a meeting. Some view this situation as the Prime Minister’s way of managing priorities, while others see it as a potential sign of worsening diplomatic balance. Meanwhile, China has also intensified its diplomatic presence in Nepal, with Deputy Director Kao Jing actively engaged in Kathmandu.
According to Navbharat Times, the United States views Nepal as a crucial part of its Indo-Pacific Strategy and seeks to advance investment and projects in the country. The US appears to be making persistent diplomatic efforts through both Assistant Secretary Kapur and now Special Envoy Gor to prevent Nepal from drifting entirely into China’s sphere of influence. The issue of Tibetan refugees in Nepal has always been important for the US, both in terms of human rights and as a means to pressure China, and it is likely that Gor will raise the issue during his meetings.
The Indian newspaper noted that Prime Minister Balen is not from Nepal’s old political establishment, is neither Congress nor communist, and projects himself as an independent leader — characteristics that are seen as his unique selling point. However, whether Balen’s meeting protocols will prove diplomatically balancing or riskily provocative remains a subject of intense debate.
