Nepal’s Unannounced North i.e., China Prohibition Policy!

# Prem Sagar Poudel

Nepal is an independent and sovereign country. We are proud to be the country of Mount Everest, and to be born in the birthplace of Buddha. But the reality is that a nation moves forward not through pride, but through action. If we look at the governance of our nation today, there seems to be a serious and ridiculous undeclared policy going on: the “North i.e., China Prohibition Policy”.

According to this policy, after waking up in the morning, you should turn south and wake up., go west to defecate, and when talking about development, one should give examples of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan, but never mention China. When it comes to freedom, the songs of America and Europe should be sung, while the example of India is given in times of crisis, but when it comes to China, only its infamous image can be presented: autocratic, dictatorial, and anti-human rights.

Looking at it this way, it seems that China is our enemy, while in reality, that is not the case. China is our neighbor and also a constant ally. It has never practiced imperialism in Nepal. Rather, it has invested in infrastructure, assisted in development, and supported in times of crisis. But this reality cannot be discussed in Nepal.

And, this thinking is not just of any one party or leader; this thinking has been institutionalized, embedded in the core tendencies of the system. No matter what government is formed, be it a party government, whether it is a government led by civil society, or a so-called independent government formed in the name of a former Chief Justice, it will never be includes, and never be included, people who support the ‘One China Policy’, have a positive view of China’s development, or project a patriotic image.

It seems that two categories have clearly been formed: one, those who have been working in Western NGOs-INGOs for a long time, and who speak according to the lines of foreign consultants. And the other, those who are independent-minded, inspired by China’s development, or who support the ‘One China Policy’.

What is even more worrying is that even when sending ambassadors to China, only those who carry the agenda of America or Europe are selected. Those who are anti-China are made Nepal’s representatives in China. Such a purposeless foreign policy not only weakens Nepal’s international image, but also damages relations with its neighbors and erodes trust. And this is done deliberately. So that Nepal’s diplomacy never becomes independent and balanced.

The question arises, if China is our neighbor, a development partner, and has always respected our sovereignty, why are those who have a positive view of it ostracized? Why is it that saying “pro-Chinese” is made into an insult, when saying “pro-American,” “pro-Indian,” or “pro-European” is made into a point of pride?

Clearly, this policy boycott is not patriotic, but a strategy of fear. This strategy is designed so that the government always appears to be operating on the lines of foreigners. So that the people can never think of alternatives. So that the public does not realize that countries like China, which have achieved miraculous development in 30-40 years, are also worth learning from.

But the problem is, if the Nepali people start learning that, they start asking questions. They start demanding answers from the government. And the basis of power weakens. It is because of this fear that there is an unannounced prohibition on looking to the North, that is, China. So that the people remain in the dark. So that the alternative never arises.

If we can look at Singapore, look at Japan, and give examples from India, then why is China’s example prohibition? Are there limitations to development in terms of religion, politics, and ideology? Can’t we see, understand, and learn?

When this thinking becomes institutionalized, the media also follows suit. If a journalist praises China’s railways, smart cities, or technology, they are immediately labeled a “communist agent.” Anyone who speaks well of China is being accused of being a traitor. This is intellectual terror, where it is made a crime to draw inspiration from the success of a country.

This same policy has been instilled in education. Textbooks do not mention China’s development. There is no support for research on the Chinese model in universities. There is no attempt to base policymaking on China’s economic strategy, urbanization, or poverty alleviation experience. This is the control of knowledge, the killing of consciousness.

Western countries teach us lessons about freedom, human rights, and democracy, but they never give us solutions to our poverty. They are shaping our education system to suit a foreign agenda, and are running programs to destroy social structures. They are working to divide society in the name of caste, gender, region, and religion. And we, like his soldiers, are destroying our own society.

But the North, i.e. China, is the exact opposite of all that. It has bound the people in the thread of unity. It has strengthened his traditions, culture, and language. It has built a state based on collective consciousness. The main thing is that it has not put any conditions on development. It never says that ‘if human rights lessons are not read, the grant will be stopped’. It says, “We build, we teach, we provide jobs.”

This is what hurts the Nepali government. Because if the technology, knowledge, and example provided by China impresses the Nepali people, they will come out of that ‘Western dream’. And the owners of foreign donations get angry. And their pets are displaced from power.

But now the public consciousness is not silent. Today’s era is the era of information. Thanks to the Internet, people can now compare for themselves what is development and what is just speeches. People are starting to understand that those who keep criticizing China are the ones who never build roads. Those who made fear towards China are the ones who are not providing jobs. Those who call China a ‘dictator’ are the ones who are deceiving the people.

Today, we need to consider, are we free citizens? If so, our vision must be free. As long as vision is tied to direction, until then, consciousness is bound. We can wake up looking south, go west to defecate, look east and take the name Japan, but it is our right to look north, understand, and learn. Development is not the property of any party. The experience of any country can be a lesson for all.

If we start looking to the north, we start seeing the potential for development. We start seeing the path to self-reliance. The path to nationalism, progress, and prosperity opens. And on that path, Nepal too will one day become a ‘proud country’, not through speeches, but through results.

Now it’s time to look for the North or China. Let’s start to know the truth, let’s start to understand development up close. We can never become developed, prosperous, and independent by following the anti-nationals.

(The author is a senior journalist, political analyst, President of the Nepal-China Mutual Cooperation Society, and an expert on international affairs.)