Kathmandu, May 31 (IANS): Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song has once again hit headlines for the wrong reasons after openly sparring on social media with a senior journalist from the country over the rate of interest of a loan acquired for the construction of Pokhara International Airport.
Journalist Gajendra Budhathoki has claimed that the rate of interest for a $215.96 million soft loan extended by the China Exim Bank to build the international airport was much higher than what has been reported.
"They said that the loan taken for Pokhara airport is 2 per cent interest rate. It is 5 per cent," Budhathoki posted on X, earlier this week.
Ambassador Chen also took to social media on May 28 and said that they were the "worst lies" that he has ever seen.
"Worst lies that I ever saw. It is public information, yet you dare to lie about it," he said in reply to Budhathoki's post.
As the social media war turned ugly, Chen posted another message on May 29, demanding a "formal apology" from the journalist who claimed to have seen the original loan document.
"We demand a formal apology from you and whoever people you represent," wrote the Chinese Ambassador.
Chen's comments have not gone down well in Nepal with many accusing the diplomat of "threatening" the journalist and showing a complete "disregard" for diplomatic protocols.
"This is not the way an ambassador will respond to our internal queries. I personally and being Nepali demand formal apology from you, whoever people you represent," wrote one user on X.
"Sir, this is not your dictatorship. Have you heard anything about 'freedom of speech'? We demand a formal apology from you for trying to interfere in our freedom of expression. We demand an apology," wrote another local in reply to Chen's post.
Last year, the Chinese Ambassador had also invited severe criticism for berating Indian foreign policy towards the Himalayan country.
"India’s policy towards Nepal and other neighbours is not so friendly and is not so beneficial to Nepal. So we call that policy of constraints," Ambassador Chen remarked while addressing a discussion titled ‘China in global economy and its impact in Nepal’, organised in Kathmandu in the first week of September by the Foundation for Trans-Himalayan Research and Studies and Friends of Silk Road Club Nepal.
Experts at that time felt that Beijing was poking New Delhi after Kathmandu continued to expand relations with India, especially in the field of connectivity and power, keeping aside the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects in Nepal.