Kathmandu : Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah is set to hold separate one-on-one meetings with the ambassadors of India and China this week, marking a significant shift from his self-imposed policy of avoiding individual meetings with foreign envoys. The meetings, which are being coordinated by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are expected to take place shortly after Shah’s government completed its first 100 days in office.
Shah, who became prime minister in March on the back of a Gen Z-led movement that unseated the previous KP Sharma Oli government, has faced mounting domestic challenges during his first 100 days in office. His administration has already witnessed major protests, including demonstrations over customs duty enforcement along the India-Nepal border and unrest triggered by the self-immolation of a ride-share driver following alleged police action.
Shah had broken with long-standing diplomatic convention by refusing to hold one-on-one meetings with foreign envoys. His office reportedly declined requests for separate meetings with India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, China’s Vice Commerce Minister Yan Dong, US Assistant Secretary of State Samir Paul Kapur and US Special Envoy Sergio Gor.
The only exception was his meeting with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda during his visit to Nepal earlier this month. The unconventional approach drew criticism from diplomats, former officials and foreign policy observers in Nepal. Veteran journalist Keshav Pradhan had earlier said Shah’s refusal to meet India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri or the Indian ambassador separately was unprecedented and risked undermining established diplomatic engagement.
“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. It is only natural to begin with the ambassadors of our two neighbours, India and China, given Nepal’s foreign policy priorities,” the aide said. The planned meetings are being seen as a diplomatic course correction after months of criticism, with Shah signalling a more conventional approach to engaging with Nepal’s two most important neighbours while seeking to maintain a balanced foreign policy.
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