High-level Chinese officials visiting Nepal on Aug 16

HONGKONG, Aug 7: Chinese President Hu Jintao is sending a senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as his special envoy to Nepal at a time when the northern neighbor has been showing increasing concern over its security interests in the country.



A jumbo team of four dozen officials led by CPC standing committee member Zhou Yongkang is landing in Kathmandu on August 16. [break]



Yongkang, who is currently serving as the ninth ranked member of the powerful standing committee, will be the highest ranking Chinese official to visit Nepal since Jia Qunglin, who ranks the fourth in the committee. During his meeting with the newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayankaji Shrestha on Friday, Chinese ambassador to Nepal, Yong Houlan talked about China´s security interests in Nepal and briefed Shrestha about the forthcoming visit of the Chinese team.



Sources say Nepal police, coinciding with the Houlan-Shrestha talks, took one “dubious” representative of Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama in Kathmandu under control on Friday and asked him about “anti-China activities” in Nepal.



During his three-day Nepal visit, Zhou is scheduled to meet President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala, among others.



Zhou is the head of the Central Political and Legislative Committee, an organ directing the central government legal policy and the legislative agenda. During his term as the security minister from 2003 and 2007, Zhou was also a member of the high-level committee to oversee Tibet affairs. He was the secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee before becoming the public security minister.



There has been a flurry of visits by Chinese officials to Nepal lately as the northern neighbor is becoming increasingly concerned over its security interests in Nepal. Just four months ago, some one-and-a-half dozen senior army officials led by Chinese Army chief Chen Bingde had visited Nepal. Beijing appointed security expert Yong Houlan as the ambassador to Nepal after Chen´s visit.



The activities by the supporters of the exiled Tibetan leader Dalai Lama and the “US interests” on the Tibetan refugees are said to be the major Chinese concerns in Nepal.



According to sources, Zhou will also discuss feasibility of Chinese investments in Nepal. The high-level visit, which follows the announcement by Chinese NGO Asia pacific Exchange and Cooperation to invest Rs 225 billion to make Lumbini a “Special Development Zone”, has been taken with special interest. Sources from Beijing say Zhou is likely to make some proposals on the controversial investment in Lumbini, birthplace of Lord Buddha.



“Zhou will discuss the peace process, constitution drafting, security in Tibet, and various development projects, including that of Lumbini with Nepali Officials,” said a Chinese official assigned to see the South Asian affairs.



CPC standing committee member and chief of the Chinese People´s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Jia Qunglin had visited Nepal in December 2003.



Jia, who holds the fourth position in the Standing Committee, is also the chief of high level committee to oversee Tibet affairs. No Chinese president or prime minister has visited Nepal in recent times. President Jiang Zemim visited Nepal in 1996 and Premier Zhu Ronji in 2001.

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