More Questions than Answers

Prachanda’s proposal for trilateral cooperation between India, Nepal and China seems reasonable on the face of it. However, both China and Nepal should be aware that it will create a lot of misunderstandings in India. The reasons for this are as follows:

1. It is an insufficiently articulated proposal. No details are available. It has not been discussed with India formally. Does the trilateral cooperation confine itself to economic sectors, or does it also include cooperation in social sectors? Does it entail political cooperation too? These are some of the questions that create confusion regarding the objectives behind these proposals.
2. Does this proposal have the official backing of the UCPN Maoist party? Do other parties support it? Does the government of Nepal support it? Has a formal démarche been issued to the Government of India? The proposal seems to have been discussed in China. But with whom? Some Chinese officials and scholars have spoken about it. Has this been prompted on behalf of the Chinese? Have the Chinese officially taken up the proposal with the Indian side?