Nepal’s foreign minister Shisir Khanal refused to pick sides when asked about how he sees the country’s ties with China and India.
The minister said that both relationships are significant from their own standpoints and he wouldn’t want to choose one over the other.
“We do not want to supplement one with the other (relationships with China and India). “Only neighbours will have boundary problems. If you’re not a neighbour, you would not have that problem. I mean, we have very open borders. It’s unique in the world.
I would not want to tell my father that I’ll replace you with the mother or the mother with the father,” Khanal said during an NDTV event in Kathmandu. He said that Nepal runs on an emotional side but views foreign policy more rationally, thus considering both India and China as important neighbours. When asked about China’s increased economic presence in Nepal, Khanal said: “Two-thirds of Nepal’s entire trade is with India. People can just walk without any paper, pretty much,” Khanal said at the same NDTV event. Earlier reporting noted: “Can’t Replace Father With Mother”: Nepal Minister On China Or India Query “Can’t Replace Father With Mother”: Nepal Minister On China Or India Query “Can’t Replace Father With Mother”: Nepal Minister On China Or India Query Earlier reporting noted: The Minister underlined that his country’s relationship dynamics are based on “national interest” while answering a question on “balanced diplomacy”. The Minister underlined that his country’s relationship dynamics are based on “national interest” while answering a question on “balanced diplomacy”. Earlier reporting noted: You can’t tell your father that you’ll replace him with your mother or vice versa, Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told NDTV, underscoring the importance of both India and China to the small Himalayan nation, refusing to pick sides between the two South Asian Goliaths.
