Nepal Prime Minister Balendra "Balen" Shah is set to depart from his self-imposed diplomatic practice of avoiding one-on-one meetings with foreign ambassadors by holding separate discussions with the ambassadors of India and China. According to government sources and local media reports, Shah is expected to meet Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava and Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming later this week. While the exact dates have not yet been officially announced, senior government officials indicated that the meetings are likely to be confirmed soon.

The decision is being viewed as a significant shift in Nepal's diplomatic engagement under Shah's administration. To reinforce Kathmandu's policy of maintaining balanced relations with its two largest neighbours, both meetings are expected to take place on the same day. The move comes more than a month after the government completed its first 100 days in office and signals a gradual return to more conventional diplomatic outreach while preserving Nepal's long-standing approach of treating India and China with equal importance.

Since assuming office on March 27, Shah has broken with established diplomatic traditions by declining individual meetings with foreign envoys. Instead, he opted for joint interactions involving Kathmandu-based ambassadors, a departure from the customary practice in which newly elected prime ministers meet ambassadors individually soon after taking office. His only notable exception so far was a meeting with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda during the latter's three-day visit to Nepal in early July.

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According to aides quoted by local media, the prime minister has recently broadened his engagement with various stakeholders, including business leaders, contractors, industrialists, exporters and traders. Officials said the government concluded that direct engagement with foreign diplomats had also become necessary, beginning with the ambassadors of India and China in recognition of Nepal's key foreign policy priorities. The planned meetings are expected to reflect Kathmandu's effort to maintain constructive and balanced ties with both neighbouring countries.

Shah's diplomatic approach has attracted attention since he took office following a youth-driven political movement that reshaped Nepal's leadership. During his tenure, he reportedly declined meeting requests from several senior foreign officials, including visiting US diplomats.

Among those said to have been denied individual meetings were US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Samir Paul Kapur and US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor. The upcoming meetings with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors therefore mark a notable change in the government's diplomatic engagement strategy.

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