Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is preparing to visit India after his official visit to China (November 17-20). After reaching his hometown Damak on November 23, he said, "The visit to China was successful, now I will go on a visit to India."

This was the first bilateral foreign visit of Oli's fourth prime ministership, who reached Beijing at the invitation of Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, now India will probably be his second visit. The first priority of Nepal's foreign policy is neighboring India and China, in that sense these visits are natural. Between these vast neighbors, it is actually a non-issue to say which of these two neighbors the Prime Minister of sovereign Nepal will visit first.

But attempts by classical theorists to create a diplomatic storm by making it a controversial issue have failed. The sensitive issue should not be used as a weapon of political manipulation. When this government, which includes two major parties led by Oli, is promoting relations with its neighbors on the basis of universal equality, the easy answer to the question of which country to visit first is - 'The country that invites first.' -break The Prime Minister went to China after receiving an invitation from China, and will also go to India after receiving an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Foreign Minister Arju Rana is going to New Delhi to prepare for the Prime Minister's visit to India.

If we start analyzing such foreign visits of the head of the government or higher level based on the agenda, there is no danger of getting lost. But here they try to fail the visit without reaching the country that gives hospitality to Kathmandu. The Prime Minister's visit to China was also tried to be controversial at the beginning. 

This article focuses on the accomplishments of the China tour. From the perspective of high-level talks and bilateral agenda developed in the background of bilateral political relations, Prime Minister Oli had a busy schedule in Beijing on November 18, but it ended easily.

Three powerful figures in the Chinese government, Premier Li, President Xi Jinping, and Chairman of the Chinese People's Congress Zhao Leji, had a unique dialogue that rekindled high-level relations.

On the same day nine important agreements were signed, which should not be underestimated. However, the debate in Kathmandu took a different turn when there was no agreement on the implementation of the much-awaited Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The conclusion was drawn that the visit of the Prime Minister to China was a failure based on incomplete information and incomplete information.

However, Chinese and Nepali officials were engaged in the internal homework of agreeing on the BRI. Before his entourage returned to Kathmandu, Prime Minister Oli instructed Foreign Minister Arju Rana and his Economic and Development Advisor Yuvraj Khatiwada to do more homework with the Chinese side for signing. Without saying

, it was agreed to implement BRI the next day on November 19. And that too according to the revised proposal advanced by Nepal. Along with this, the BRI signed by Nepal on May 12, 2017 (June 29, 2074) will now proceed. 10 projects have also been decided under this initiative. Those projects are decided based on Nepal's priorities.

After Nepal said it would only seek grants, China could not provide grants and could only provide loans, more amicable homework was needed for agreement. In the draft of the BRI framework, in the 'Grant Financing Cooperation Modality' kept by the Nepali side, the Chinese side removed the 'Grant' and replaced it with 'Assistant Financing Modality'.

Again, Nepal made a middle proposal, instead of grants and aid, it proposed again by placing 'aid financing', which was finally agreed upon. Even though both grants and subsidized loans are included in this, Nepal continues to give priority to grants. After returning from the

visit, Prime Minister Oli and Foreign Minister Rana said that Nepal's projects with China will be based on grants, which shows Nepal's priority. In principle, it cannot be said that no country should take concessional loans, in that sense, this agreement is reasonable.

That way, the tour has been a success. This Nepali negotiation skill seen in BRI and the results it brought has become a historical turning point for Nepal's foreign policy and its operations. The verbal commitment to form a common understanding on foreign policy and relations has been translated into implementation. It has also proven that the dialogue with the neighbors and the international community is effective when there is a common opinion within the country.

The development of common perception

Chinese President Xi Jinping launched this umbrella plan in 2013, four years after Nepal was joined during the Congress-Maoist government with Pushpa Kamal Dahal as Prime Minister. But since then none of the projects under it have been taken forward.

Instead, comments such as "debt trap" were created on this and the debate progressed towards "Chinese debt" should not be taken under any circumstances. The BRI debate was influenced by an external example of Sri Lanka's 99-year lease of Hambantota port to China for default and another bilateral example of US$500 million given to Nepal by the US grant program MCC.

However, as seen now, MCC is not the only US grant project but it has become a joint project, as Nepal has also invested about 200 million US dollars in it.

It would have been appropriate if the debate had been started with good thinking that the debt could not be paid due to the economic situation of Nepal. But the BRI chapter itself was tried to be closed by showing the debt. That is, it was becoming affected by geopolitical competition.

When the government of two big parties was formed, it did not only give a message of political stability, it also made a document to promote balanced neighborly relations by prioritizing the interests of Nepal in international relations.

When Prime Minister Oli started preparing for his first bilateral visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Prime Minister Li, misleading propaganda was launched in a planned manner to thwart it. Prachanda, the former Prime Minister and Chairman of the Maoist Center, gave an interview to the Indian media and called the visit a 'Chinese card'.

Once again, there is a false information circulating that the visit to China will be postponed and India will be visited first. BRI was manipulated to thwart the visit by forcing two polar opposites within the country. But the understanding of Prime Minister Oli and Sher Bahadur Deuba and the high-level task force formed for that developed a common perception about BRI.

According to which, the 'BRI Implementation Plan' proposed by China was amended to the 'BRI Cooperation Agreement' and finally reached an agreement on aid financing. 

In Nepal, especially the economic projects or initiatives linked by India, China and the US are suspected of being a strategic move. Ideological proximity plays a major role in that.

Likewise, partisan and personal chemistry can help turn the debate toward favorability. But this time the UML and the Congress sidelined all those tendencies and started a new sensible creative exercise keeping the national interest at the center. It should continue. In fact, the foreign policy and its operation should be seen as a nation as a whole, not a party. This time Nepal was seen in China.

National policy

When a common opinion is formed within the country on a neighboring and international issue, its power is reflected in the form of a solution in diplomatic negotiations. It has been said that foreign policy is an extension of domestic policy. Again, in diplomacy one side doesn't win, both sides win.

This is not a zero-sum philosophy. Whether it is BRI or MCC, if a common understanding had been developed before signing both the programmes, we would not have been mired in today's complexities. In that sense, consistency should be maintained in Nepal's policy of looking at countries like India, China, America etc.

They should develop a common opinion based on the same policy on the issue they are promoting. Today's world is a world that prioritizes national interests. From Trump to Putin, from Modi to Xi, the reason people get popular approval is because they can lead national thought.

America has returned to the policy of protectionism, is carrying out "mass deportation" of illegal immigrants, while other countries must first protect their own citizens and interests. Modi himself is moving away from India's traditional policy of non-alignment and expanding external relations based on a policy of multi-alignment that protects Indian interests.

Nepal is not thinking about anything other than its own interests now. Nepal has been able to take a decision on BRI because of the joint government of major parties. And, if they decided not to implement it now, perhaps other governments of the same structure would not be able to do it.

The Oli government seriously wanted to end the case. That seems to be the government's attempt to save money. In fact, the government did not even get to do its homework on other agendas when it visited China because BRI took up the main time. Like

- To make Prime Minister Oli's visit a success, Foreign Minister Rana reached Chhendu in Sichuan, located in the southwest of China, on November 13 and met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on November 14. BRI was at the center of their discussion.

She shared the common view of BRI between the two main parties in Kathmandu. She handed over the 'BRI Cooperation Framework'. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi replied that he would discuss with President Xi to reach a final decision.

When the Chinese side could not agree to Nepal's proposal at the beginning, then continuous efforts continued in Beijing. After discussion on three proposals, a fourth proposal was finally agreed upon. The position of Nepal to take a stand in the negotiations with the Chinese authorities was obtained from the agreement reached in Kathmandu.

When the government is strong, when there is confidence in the government and when the government can maintain its position with the overall foreign power, including its neighbors, with the national interest at the center, it also provides solutions.

Whatever projects are being implemented in Africa and Asia under BRI, they are basically running on loans. When Nepal signed it, there was no question of grants, only loans. It was not easy for China to convert BRI into a subsidy for Nepal.

However, special arrangements could be made for geographically connected neighbors. But there was no debate on that. Instead, a cold war was waged between Beijing and Washington over the MCC and the BRI – dividing domestic politics. Breaking through all those doubts, the way the two main parties came to a common view on the relationship with China over the BRI, marked a new beginning and a new chapter in foreign policy.