The Party Diplomacy of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Nepal: What, Why and How

Abstract

The party diplomacy of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has been an issue of great interest to scholars and political analysts in many ways. The CPC directly establishes relations with foreign political parties, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and elites, with various state and party based interests. Unlike in liberal democracies where party diplomacy receives marginal attention, Communist China attaches great significance to party-to-party contacts between the CPC and political parties of other states. The Marxist-Leninist ideology of the CPC on party and state relationships allows that party not only to guide the public policies, foreign policy and diplomacy of the state but also to conduct the party diplomacy. In Nepal too the CPC pursues active party diplomacy and has established relations with several political parties, with its closest and most intense engagements with the communist parties of Nepal. Nepal is the only country in the world where the influence of communist parties has risen and remained high after 1990. Communist parties being the most influential political forces in Nepal, the CPC's deeper engagements and efforts to create alliance and unity among them can have long term consequences in Nepal's political developments. My research aims to explore the dynamics the CPC's party diplomacy in Nepal and speculate its possible consequences in Nepal's domestic politics and foreign policy.