China boosts ex-Nepal president Bhandari as she eyes political comeback
DEEPAK ADHIKARI
KATHMANDU -- When Nepal's former president Bidya Devi Bhandari boarded a plane to Beijing in late May, it wasn't just a diplomatic trip. The nine-day visit, cloaked in ceremonial photos and vague agendas, signaled something more strategic: China's bid to reinforce ties with a veteran leftist politician as she eyes a return to party politics.
Bhandari, a former vice chair of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), or CPN-UML, was one of four keynote speakers at the Dialogue with Political Parties from Neighboring Countries in Beijing. Organized by the Chinese Communist Party's International Department (IDCPC), the high-profile forum drew 200 delegates from political parties, businesses and think tanks across 29 Asia-Pacific countries.
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The Diplomat
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It suggests that while the Chinese government continues to emphasize 'reunification' in official discourse, the public's appetite for resolution via military force is waning. At the same time, alternative diplomatic pathways – especially those involving both Taiwan and the United States – are gaining very modest traction among segments of the general population. The data from the most recent wave of the survey in 2025 explores three distinct resolution strategies: (1) military intervention, (2) direct diplomacy with Taiwan, and (3) diplomacy involving both the United States and Taiwan. These categories were rated on a seven-point Likert scale, allowing respondents to express degrees of preference rather than binary choices. When analyzing attitudes toward military resolution, the 2025 data reveals a subtle but perceptible shift. Although support remains relatively stable, the distribution of preferences appears to be flattening. 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