Balancing Act Of Balen Shah: Nepalese PM to meet envoys from India, China in big climbdown
Nepal PM Balen Shah will break his protocol of refusing one-on-one meetings with foreign envoys and meet Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava and Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming this week, The Kathmandu Post reported.
INDIABalancing Act Of Balen Shah: Nepalese PM to meet envoys from India, China in big climbdownNepal PM Balen Shah will break his protocol of refusing one-on-one meetings with foreign envoys and meet Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava and Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming this week, The Kathmandu Post reported. Add DNA as a Preferred SourceTRENDING NOWGold, silver prices today, February 8, 2026: Check city-wise rates in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and moreBomb threat to 9 Delhi schools, Bomb squad deployedSourav Ganguly slams PCB's India boycott threat, asks 'backing out of a World Cup for what?'Who is Shivam Mishra? Son of Tabacco barron, owns luxury cars worth Rs 60 crore, crashes Lamborgini in Kanpur's posh areaAfter Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, and Salman Khan, Vivek Oberoi's personality rights get protectedUttar Pradesh: Ganga Expressway set to become major economic hub, high-speed rail link, residential zones planned, here's all you need to knowDelhi Coaching Center Flood: 5 Including Owner of Basement Arrested By Police | IAS Coaching TragedyLaughter Chefs 3 fees: Here's how much Krushna Abhishek, Elvish Yadav, Bharti Singh charge per episode, Karan Kundrra, Tejasswi Prakash, Jannat Zubair earnings revealedThe 50: Lion's real identity revealed, he is. . . , fans express their shock and surpriseMassive explosion in biotechnology company at China's Shanxi Province, 8 killed after trapped in Debris; what was the cause?Triple suicide case: Grandfather of Ghaziabad sisters urge government to ban Korean gameDelhi HORROR: Two men, one woman bodies found inside parked car on Peeragarhi flyover; suicide by poisoning suspected; who were the victims?Jeffrey Epstein files: Sex offender allegedly wanted to impregnate women at his ranch, create 'super race' of humansJeffrey Epstein files: New picture show sex offender dining with Elon Musk, Mark ZuckerbergGandiva Missile: Arjuna's Bow Reborn TodayNepal's Prime Minister Balen Shah, who has thus far followed a protocol of refusing to sit down in one-to-one meetings with foreign envoys, is set to break his self-imposed rule and meet the envoys from India and China this week, The Kathmandu Post reported, citing his aides and diplomatic sources. Shah will also be trying to portray that the two countries are equally important for him. According to the report, Shah is set to hold separate meetings with Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava and Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming. Although exact dates are yet to be announced, the meetings, being coordinated by Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are expected shortly after Shah's administration completed 100 days in office. To underscore that New Delhi and Beijing are equally important to Kathmandu, Shah is scheduled to meet both ambassadors on the same day. Gen-Z PM's controversial diplomatic stanceShah, who rode a wave of Gen Z agitation, became PM in March this year after a movement ousted the previous KP Oli-led administration. Since then, he departed from established diplomatic practices by refusing to meet foreign envoys individually. This saw the PM decline requests to meet India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, China's Deputy Minister of Commerce Yan Dong and US officials including Assistant Secretary Samir Paul Kapur and special envoy Sergio Gor. Instead, Shah held joint meetings with Kathmandu-based ambassadors in April and May. The only exception was a meeting with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda in July. The stance drew sustained criticism. Veteran journalist Keshav Pradhan said that "When India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri wished to visit Kathmandu in May, Balen Shah reportedly didn't want to meet him. . . This is unprecedented. "The Kathmandu Post editorial noted: "Nepal occupies a precarious geopolitical landscape and preserving its sovereignty entails maintaining a delicate balancing act with outside powers, especially India and China. " Former Nepal Ambassador to Denmark Vijay Kant Karna said: "There is no changing the fact that we are a small state that needs foreign investment and support. So, when the PM backs out of meeting foreign envoys, it is Nepal's loss, not the US, China or India's. "Course correction amid pressureEven members of Shah's own government, including Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, had urged him to meet senior officials from India, China and the US. Now the stance appears to be changing. "The prime minister has started meeting various stakeholders over the past two weeks. We have now concluded that he should also engage with foreign ambassadors and diplomats," an aide told The Kathmandu Post. "It is only natural to begin with the ambassadors of our two neighbours, India and China, given Nepal's foreign policy priorities," another aide told The Indian Express. Find your daily dose of AllLatest NewsincludingSports News,Entertainment News,Lifestyle News, explainers & more. Stay updated, Stay informed-Follow DNA on WhatsApp.