'Deeply values' ties with Nepal, says China as it congratulates new PM Prachanda

China on Monday congratulated Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" who was sworn-in as Nepal's new prime minister as Beijing weighs its options in the wake of the dramatic political development in the Himalayan nation where it has made high strategic stakes in recent years.

Prachanda was sworn in for the third time as the Prime Minister of Nepal on Monday. The 68-year-old former guerilla leader was appointed as Nepal's new premier by President Bidya Devi Bhandari after he surprisingly walked away from the five-party ruling alliance led by outgoing Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress and staked a claim for the premier's post before the deadline set by the president expired on Sunday.

"We have noted the smooth and successful general elections in Nepal. We congratulate Prachanda on his appointment as the new Prime Minister of Nepal,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here.

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“As Nepal’s traditional friend and neighbour, China deeply values its relations with Nepal. We stand ready to work with the new Nepalese government to expand and deepen friendly exchange and cooperation across the board, pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, inject new impetus into our strategic cooperative partnership featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity and deliver more benefits for our two peoples,” she said.

The new Nepalese government formed with the support of K P Sharma Oli, a former prime minister known for his pro-China stance, has evoked considerable interest here. Prachanda, who had brought down the Oli government last year, too has close and ideological ties with China in the past.

“We believe that with the concerted efforts of the Nepalese government and people and through the consultation and coordination of various political parties and political forces, Nepal will enjoy continued stability and socio-economic development,” Mao said.

Prachanda and CPN-UML chairman Oli, fiercest critics of each other until Saturday, had joined hands for a power-sharing deal on Sunday under which Oli will take over the premiership for the second half of the tenure.

Prachanda and Oli had a similar arrangement in the previous government. However, it fell after Oli reneged on the deal and continued as prime minister, prompting Prachanda to join the opposition ranks to oust him.

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Prachanda’s Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) secured only 32 seats in the Parliament, while Nepali Congress led by Deuba won 89 seats and Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) won 78 seats and remained the dominant parties casting a shadow over the stability of the new government in the landlocked nation.

Observers say it is to be seen how Prachanda manages to follow a balanced foreign policy pursued by the previous government headed by Deuba, maintaining close ties with Nepal’s big neighbours India and China.