The Communist Party of China (CPC) has invited at least 15 leaders each from all Nepali political parties that are represented in the House of Representatives in a rare party briefing on Sunday. The International Department of the CPC sent the invitation to the Nepali political parties.

“The International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) and CPC Qinghai Provincial Committee presents its compliments to your party and has the honour to advise the following,” reads the letter sent to one national party which was seen by the Post. “The IDCPC and CPC Qinghai Provincial Committee plans to co-host the briefing on the 3rd Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee at 14:30 p.m. on October 20th, at the Hotel Yak and Yeti in Kathmandu, Nepal.”

Fourteen political parties are represented in Nepal’s 275-strong House of Representatives. And there are two independent lawmakers.

National Assembly Chairman Narayan Dahal has been invited as chief guest in the function. The Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu had informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the function and the ministry allowed them to organise the programme without further consultation, said a joint secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We are hearing of such practice for the first time in Nepal,” a CPN-UML leader said. “Since they invited us, we have to attend the event but it is up to the government to decide whether the political party from another country should invite us for internal party meetings. It is up to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to decide.”

But a joint secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that since China practices a different political system, the ministry did not reject holding such an event in Kathmandu.

In China, the CPC unilaterally runs the government, so the ministry did not urge them to stop the function, said the joint secretary. The Chinese side did not seek permission to hold the event but informed the ministry about its plan to host the function to be inaugurated by Dahal, according to the ministry official.

The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China convened its third plenary session in Beijing from July 15 to 18 earlier this year. The session had endorsed several proposals related to development strategy of China, development and security, promotion of high-quality development, deepening reform in various sectors, advancing socialist democracy and rule of law, improving public communication and cultural work, safeguarding national security and social stability, promoting the development of national defense and the armed forces, advancing work related to Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, pursuing major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and strengthening full and rigorous party self-governance, among others, according to the CPC document.

Arjun Thapa, head of the international department of Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal, confirmed to the Post that his party has received an invitation to attend the briefing. But he said he is not participating. “Someone from the party including some half a dozen party leaders will attend the briefing,” Thapa said.

“It’s a kind of propaganda meeting,” he added. But the letter sent by the Chinese side did not mention who from the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) and CPC Qinghai Provincial Committee will brief the Nepali leaders.

Earlier, in January end, Sun Haiyan, the vice minister of the International Liaison Department of the CPC, also did a similar kind of briefing to the second-rung leaders of the major Nepali political parties during a consultative conference in Kathmandu between Nepali political leaders and the CPC.

In the meeting, Sun had accused that certain countries were trying to destabilise the good relations between Nepal and China, while some elements were also defaming the Belt and Road Initiative by calling it a ‘debt trap’. But the theme of Sunday’s briefing is ‘Sharing the Opportunities Brought by Chinese Modernisation and Deepening the Trans-Himalaya Cooperation.’

“We cordially invite 15 representatives of your party/organisation to participate in this event,” reads the invitation letter.

Meanwhile, China also donated seven electric vehicle cars to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday. But both sides have not released any formal statement about it.

“These cars were stuck at the Nepal-China border for a long time,” said Amrit Bahadur Rai, spokesperson at the foreign ministry. “Finally, the Chinese side handed it over to us on Friday.”

The seven electric vehicles were stuck in customs due to Nepali side’s failure to pay the customs duty, another foreign ministry official said. “They were released after the finance ministry agreed to pay the tax amounting to over Rs10.5 million,” the official said.