Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is on his way to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China on Saturday. During this visit, Prime Minister Oli will participate in the '80th anniversary of China's victory over Japan' ceremony, so questions have been raised in the diplomatic field.

Will the Prime Minister's participation affect the old relationship between Nepal and Japan? What was that event in history, which has made cold relations between China and Japan even now? And in this situation, what effect will the presence of our Prime Minister have on Nepal? We have tried to explain this topic in five questions and answers.

• Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is supposed to participate in what is China's 80th victory celebration against Japan?

Japan attacked China in the early 1930s. The Axis alliance of Germany, Italy and Japan was a dangerous alliance in World War II. After being defeated by China's strong resistance and America's fierce attack, Japan left China only in 1945. If you read the history, you will know that during that war, the Japanese troops treated the Chinese citizens very inhumanely and cruelly. 

Commemorating the day of victory over Japan, China has been organizing a special event on September 3 . China called the event "the anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people's war against Japanese aggression and the victory of the world anti-fascist war". The program is being held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on the 18th of August. Where there will be a military parade and a grand exhibition. Before that, the Shanghai Summit is being held in the Chinese city of Tianjin on August 15-16. China has invited guests from various countries to participate in the conference. At the same time, Nepal's Prime Minister Oli, after participating in the SCO conference, is preparing to participate in the event at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

• Why is there a question about Prime Minister Oli participating in that event?

A question has been raised in Nepal's diplomatic field regarding the participation of the Prime Minister in the program to commemorate the occasion of China's victory over Japan. Both China and Japan are friends and development partners of Nepal. It is natural for Nepal to participate in the program organized by neighboring China. But since there is a victory ceremony held by China over another old friend of Nepal, Japan, there is a question about the participation of the Prime Minister in that event.

The Japanese government has asked the countries of Asia and Europe not to participate in that event. There is a suspicion in diplomatic circles that Japan may consider Nepal's participation as bad in such a situation. Diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan were established on September 1, 1956. In 2026, Nepal-Japan  70 years of diplomatic relations are being completed. Japan has been contributing to the socio-economic development of Nepal since 1954. Japan's cooperation is important in the fields of power generation, roads, bridges, water supply, and telecommunications.

Due to all this background, the participation of Nepal in the 80th anniversary of China's victory over Japan is an analysis that upsets Japan and is not good for Nepal. Experts in diplomatic affairs are concerned that the presence of the Prime Minister seems to favor Nepal as well. Therefore, they have commented that this visit will be against the foreign policy of Nepal  .

• Which other countries are participating in the military parade in which the Prime Minister will participate?

The leaders of 26 countries, including the Prime Minister of Nepal, are participating in the Tiananmen Square event in Beijing. Prime Minister Oli will be present at the military parade along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong. The leaders of Russia, North Korea, Pakistan, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan are also participating there. Similarly, the governments of Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Cuba, Myanmar, Maldives, Zimbabwe, Serbia, Slovakia and Congo  Or heads of state are participating there .

Although he will participate in the SCO conference, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not on the list of the program. Modi is visiting Japan before going to China. He is reaching the Chinese city of Tianjin from Japan. He is scheduled to return to India after the SCO conference. Western media have interpreted the Tiananmen Square ceremony as an attempt to show political unity between China, Russia and North Korea.

• Although President Ramchandra Paudel was asked to attend this event, he refused the invitation.

China had first invited President Ramchandra Poudel to participate in the event. But he refused because of Nepal's close relationship with Japan. His advisers and foreign affairs officials advised the president not to attend the event. Before becoming the president, Japan awarded Poudel with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in 2022. Officials of Shitalniwasa say that for that reason, he expressed his reluctance to participate in China's victory parade.

• When is the Prime Minister's visit starting . What topics are covered in the tour schedule?

Prime Minister Oli is going on a visit to China from Saturday. Nepal is about to participate in SCO as a 'Dialogue Partner'. Oli will address the 'SCO Plus' meeting. There he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. On the occasion of the conference, Prime Minister Oli will have a "sideline" meeting with the leaders of other participating countries. Preparations are also being made for a 'sideline' meeting with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.