India, Nov. 27 -- In Kathmandu, I observed that Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli's visit to China has become a hot potato in the chilly Kathmandu valley. The China visit is being portrayed by his Unified Marxist Leninist Party (UML)-led coalition government as a bold initiative by Oli to resolve the long-pending BRI Implementation plan. The BRI Framework Agreement 2017 signed by Nepal figured during the maiden visit of President Xi Jinping in 2019 when Xi announced NC Rs 60 bn in grants under BRI. Since 2008, China has announced NC Rs 80 bn in grants. It seems the government could not use the aid for projects under BRI due to some issues.

Several delegations from both countries have interacted over the BRI Implementation plan for a long but t...