MCC and the war over Taiwan
Despite being a small country, Nepal must realize that it is in the midst of a major change unseen in a century.
The Russia-Ukraine war has been escalating and prolonged, leaving no room for compromise between the two sides. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would not hesitate to go to nuclear war. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in New York that it is better to lose thousands of troops than an inch of land. Which clearly indicates that war is also brewing in the Taiwan Strait. In the event of a war in the Taiwan Strait, the US will certainly attempt to carry out military assistance from the western side of China under the cover of the MCC, thereby dragging Nepal into the danger of Sino-US conflict or even war.
The Russia-Ukraine war plunged Europe, which had been pampered after the Second World War, into a huge crisis and only hard times await them now. If a war breaks out across the Taiwan Strait, Asia will also be plunged into a huge crisis. Located in the heart of Eurasia, far from the Taiwan Strait and sheltered by the Himalayas, Nepal could have basically stayed out of it. However, with the signing of the MCC, Nepal has become the projection point for American power. As a result, Nepal is invisibly caught in the situation of “if something happens in Taiwan Strait, Nepal will bear the consequences”.
The Chinese side is certainly wary and not happy about the signing of MCC. The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman said, "The US claims that the MCC is a gift to the Nepalese people. But the gift came in the form of an ultimatum". Meanwhile, our Foreign Minister responded immediately, saying, "Nepal's decision to sign the MCC is based on its own national interests". However, we all saw that the MCC was signed under repeated coercion from the US and under the deadline given by the US ultimatum despite the protests against the MCC being quite visible both within and outside the parliament.
Assuming there is no violent conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the MCC may exist in a low-key or even constructive manner. However, in the event of war across the Taiwan Strait, the MCC will play a distressing role in Nepal. How well the MCC is managed to serve Nepal's national interests and not the other way around, will be a test for those in power.