Prospects of a Discursive Leap from being a Yam
between Boulders to Something Better
By Jagadish Pokhrel at a Think-tank Forum in Beijing, on The New Development of Shanghai Cooperation
Organization in the New Era, on March 26, 2018.
About Me
an invitee, by chance, to this awe-inspiring forum
asked to talk about Nepal and SCO
SCO was a story of great civilizations, connecting in novel ways, for
peace and prosperity
seeking to foster good neighborly relations, commerce, culture
and adventure across the vast Eurasian landmass
giving rise, in the process, to diverse networks and clusters with
the potential to reorder the globe
but, the topic was outside my routines
as an ordinary professional
an editor of The Rising Nepal, a National English daily
a board director of Media Foundation Nepal, a media research
and education initiative
A Hard Choice to Make
Opportunity knocks at the door only once (机不可失，
时不再来) -- Chinese proverb
missing a lifetime opportunity
to be in Beijing to hear your esteemed views
on how a shared future was unfolding for more than half of the
humanity
facing this risk
of sounding trivial in front of you all
eminent scholars, thinkers and discourse leaders of the new
era of Asia
A Rare Invitation
I Placed My Bet on the Flip Side
my aim was to explore the topic
from the vantage of a non-expert Nepali professional
aspiring, as a flip side, to join in the vital discourse
that is giving shape and meaning to the new development of SCO in the
new era of Asia
in figuring out the prospects of Nepal as a dialogue partner
fully aware of my limitations
subject matter expertise
rigor of scholarship
my exploration took me into
some recent work
media stories
think tank reports
unofficial and official documents
fresh comments from experts
The Asian Story
Share of Global GDP
New World Order: Economy 2050
China’s Rise: Dominant Discourse
Chasing the Dream-2020
SCO and New Silk Routes
The inclusion of India and Pakistan in the SCO expanded room for
development of the Belt and Road Initiative in the region, whose GDP volume
accounts for about one fifth of the global total.
India-Pakistan in SCO Bandwagon
as some Indian experts, from think tanks, would see it
hopes
India may better safeguard its own interests and get economic access to Central Asia
as it “nervously” eyes close relationship between China and Pakistan
fears
the two fastest-growing economies, China and India, will find it hard
to engage with each other and with willing partner nations to maintain openness and
embrace globalization
For an Asian century to materialise, India, China and the rest of the region need to
look beyond rivalry and defensiveness to explore the possibilities of economic
integration.
Dhiraj Nayyar, NITI Aayog, National Institution for Transforming India, Government of
India
New Delhi’s running dispute over the 4000km border with China also complicates the
bilateral relationship
India’s existential dilemma for the 21st century, then, is to “stare down the dragon while
embracing it.”
Samir Saran , Senior Fellow and Vice President, The Observer Research Foundation
Nepal Repositioning in Discourse
Foreign Policy Discussion in Media
Making a Better Sense
A Sample of Policy Prescriptions
a shift of focus to geo-economy, more, perhaps, than geo-politics
foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali
a balanced approach with India and China – it does not think ill of
neighbours, so that is the core of the foreign policy
former foreign minister Prakash Chandra Lohani
improve rail and road connectivity and develop new linkages in the
regional and global value supply chain
former Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood
rethink about the ‘yam mindset’ and engage more and more with
neighbors economically
professor Mahendra P Lama
‘reposition’ to grasp the dividends of economic progress of its neighbors
in the north and the south
associate professor of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore,
Pradumna B Rana
a link-state between Tibet and India
Landlocked to Land-linked
More Metaphors, If They Help
with a tweak or two,
imagining Nepal’s new
prospects
a vibrant bridge
a transit hub
a gateway to South Asia
a civilizational link!
a trilateral cooperation
corridor!
could we, some day, hear
somebody calling Nepal
a rooftop restaurant?
a new camel on the Silk Road
caravan?
or, a yak yearning to graze on
great green pastures?
So What? A Guide’s View of Nepal
While the political masses to
the north and south of Nepal
are only recently preparing
for a standoff, the tectonic
masses have been in collision
for over 70 million years ...
that was about the time
dinosaurs were dying out
and our ancestors looked like
lemurs.
The Himalayan Silk Road!
Guide’s Views
Continued ...
It was perhaps a
fortuitous collision for
they gave rise to what
is now the highest
mountain range on
earth, the Himalayas
... dreams for
adventurers worldwide
Official Document
The Constitution of Nepal - 2015
defines
the state of Nepal
a federal democratic republican state
independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular, inclusive, democratic,
socialism oriented
the Nepalese people
who collectively constitute the nation
are multiethnic, multilingual, multireligious, multicultural and in
geographical diversities
have common aspirations
are united by a bond of allegiance to national independence,
territorial integrity, national interest and prosperity of Nepal
national interests
safeguard of freedom, sovereignty, territorial integrity, nationality,
independence and dignity of Nepal, the rights of the Nepalese people,
border security, economic wellbeing and prosperity
The Constitution of Nepal - 2015
also spells out
the policies relating to
international relations
based on the Charter of the United Nations, non-alignment, principles of Panchsheel,
international law and the norms of world peace, overall interest of the nation
treaties, agreements based on equality and mutual interest
policies relating to
economy, industry and commerce, labour, employment, political and governance
system, social justice and inclusion, etc
foreign capital, technological investment, import substitution, export promotion,
infrastructure building, national needs and priorities, incorporating in national
budget, industrial corridors, special economic zones, national projects and projects
involving foreign investment, exploitation-free foreign employment, bringing capital,
skills, technology and experience in productive sectors, implementing international
treaties and agreements, enhancing national unity and national prestige at the
international level, single door system for international nongovernmental
organizations, making their investment and role transparent and accountable.
Standing up for Shanghai Spirit
internal policy:
mutual trust,
mutual benefit,
equality, mutual
consultations,
respect for cultural
diversity, and a
desire for common
development.
external policy:
principles of non-
alignment, non-
targeting any third
country, and
openness
Oli is Back in Headlines as PM
Nepal’s Context has Changed
constitution in action
over the year, Nepal has held local, provincial and
federal elections
to implement the republican constitution
generating a hope for a lasting political stability (something
experts of every hue lamented was missing before)
a left alliance now commands a two-thirds majority in the
federal parliament and governs most provinces and local units
On External Front
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
diplomatic relations
158 countries, last Uzbekistan, 26-January-2018
bilateral engagements since
India, 17 June 1947; China, 1 August 1955; Russia, 20 July 1956; Pakistan,
29 March 1960
areas of bilateral cooperation
infrastructure, connectivity, education and industrial development
the MoU on Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative
signed by the two sides in Kathmandu on 12 May 2017
expected to promote mutually beneficial cooperation in connectivity,
trade, investment, technology and people-to people contacts
development diplomacy focus on economic agenda
to graduate from the LDC status by 2022
and become a middle-income country by 2030
China-Nepal Relations
excellent, age-old, cordial, widening and deepening, with economic
cooperation and connectivity increasingly receiving the center stage
high level exchanges in 2017, for example
from the Nepalese side
Vice-President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Legislature Parliament
and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance
firm commitment to one China and not allowing Nepal to be used against it
from the Chinese side
State Councilor and Minister for Defense, Chairman of the People’s Congress
of TAR and Minister for State Administration for Industry and Commerce,
among others
Good neighborly and friendly ties, based on equality and respect
the contacts featured
political, economic, social, cultural and all other major aspects of Nepal-China
relations
So, What is Nepal for China?
China has hardly been ambiguous in asserting the
development-security link
vis-à-vis its stepped-up relationship with Nepal over the
past decade.
Beijing sees economic engagement with Nepal as an enduring
tool for boosting security and stability
along what it has long considered a fluid section of its vast
national frontier.
Sanjay Upadhya, author of Nepal and the Geo-Strategic Rivalry
Between China and India (2012), in a Personal Communication,
2018 March 18.
Prospects of Cooperation in SCO
as the youngest Dialogue Partner of SCO
invited to take part in events under the SCO framework
as envisioned in the SCO Charter
support for, and promotion of regional economic cooperation in
various forms,
for fostering favorable environment for trade and investments
with a view to gradually achieving free flow of goods, capitals, services and
technologies;
effective use of available transportation and communication
infrastructure, improvement of transit capabilities of member States
and development of energy systems;
Sound environmental management,
including water resources management in the region, and implementation of
particular joint environmental programs and projects;
mutual assistance in preventing natural and man-made disasters and
elimination of their implications
Going Global, Going Multilateral
The key driver of a geopolitically explicit organization
(that is, SCO)
China will be tempted to seek firmer political and
diplomatic support from Nepal
on pressing issues in the region and beyond.
At the same time, Beijing would need to be mindful of
Nepal’s room for action here
not only in view of our precarious geopolitical position but also
in the interest of the SCO’s operational efficacy.
Upadhya, in a Personal Communication, 2018 March 18.
What Nepal can Make of It All
Yuba Nath Lamsal, Nepal’s Ambassador to Denmark
despite Nepal’s limited resources and strategic leverage,
its engagement and involvement with SCO, will mean
access to energy rich Central Asia
and also Russia
where it can extract economic and strategic benefits
(Personal Communication, 2018 March 17)
A Professional Gut-Feeling
Dharma Adhikari, a communications professor, Shantou University,
China
partnerships in regionalism, globalization are important
Nepal can reap economic benefits and learn much.
a dialogue partner is a door for eventually becoming a full member also
important alternative in light of the slow progress with SAARC
we can look at the question in reference to OBOR initiative and with
fast-increasing Chinese investments in Nepal in recent years.
the two countries are going to have a far extensive and deepened multisectoral
relationship, not just govt to govt but people to people.
so it will be in mutual benefit to be a dialogue partner, especially to explore new
areas of cooperation.
(Personal Communication, 2018 March 19)
More Prospects than Pitfalls
Prospects of belt and routes, for example,
by the end of 2016, Chinese enterprises had built 56 economic
and trade cooperation zones in more than 20 countries along
the Belt and Road routes
investment of over US$18.5 billion
nearly US$1.1 billion in tax revenue and
180,000 jobs for the host countries.
Problems, for example,
the main problems with Chinese enterprises are
inadequacies in staff internationalization
communication with overseas non-governmental organizations
ability to deal with risks and participation in making international
standards.
Good Neighborly Exercises
SCO building on mutual interests and benefits
as a primary initiator of SCO, China gets the credit
if more countries are brought in it
bringing neighbors on board means Beijing’s diplomatic
success
a global economic superpower and a key player in
international politics, China may see its role and effectiveness
enlarged with neighbors in SCO
(Lamsal, Personal Communication, 2018 March 17)
Many Variables
the expansion of the SCO, to encompass a vast swathe of the Eurasian
heartland,
does promise great opportunities for its members, observers and
partners
at the same time, the same breadth could easily magnify their
divergences
there are many variables out of our control
for instance, how much progress would the SCO achieve in building the
institutional capacities needed to foster the kind of cooperation it envisages
closer to home, the vagaries and volatility of the China-India-Pakistan
triangle are bound to influence Nepal
especially since the SCO, unlike the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation, officially incorporates economic and security cooperation
(Upadhya, Personal Communication, 2018 March 18)
Grounds for Optimism
should events take a relatively favorable turn over a
reasonably extended period
Nepal could use a strengthened infrastructural base
to reap economic benefits.
on the security front, too, our prolonged political
transition has come to a close
so how successfully we manage our internal political affairs
would determine the extent of any benefits accruing from SCO
partnership.
Upadhya, in a Personal Communication, 2018 March 18
Conclusion
while our search for a more apt metaphor than a yam or yak may
continue as the world changes
for win-win outcomes, Nepal needs to build its capacity to interact,
engage and connect with its neighbors, friends and partners in the
SCO
perhaps, by attaching more value to being resourceful than being
resource-rich
for example, starting language or multicultural capacity building
partnerships to fit and serve the increasing needs of commerce, culture
and adventure in the connected heartland of Eurasia
for inspiration, why not look up to Chinese President Xi Jinping
the visionary architect of a “shared future for mankind” and leader of
today’s China, a modern, high quality, economic powerhouse, which has
“stood up”, “grown rich” and become “strong” under his exemplary
leadership.
Thank You
for everything
giving this honor and privilege to speak
for listening
for being such great hosts in such a great country
