December 23, 2025
KATHMANDU – As Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song is all set to leave the country on Wednesday after Beijing recalled him, the US President Donald Trump has also recalled 30 ambassadors from various countries, including Nepal.
Ambassadors from powerful countries are leaving Nepal, and their governments are preparing to send new representatives to Kathmandu at a time when the country is witnessing a dramatic political transition and preparing for parliamentary elections on March 5.
According to the Associated Press, Dean Thompson, the serving US ambassador to Nepal, is also on the list of recall. He was appointed in Kathmandu by the previous Biden administration in March 2022.
But the US has yet to officially communicate the decision to the government of Nepal.
The Chinese side has already informed Kathmandu about the departure of its envoy after Chen got promoted to the post of director general in the Asian Department at the Chinese foreign ministry. He held the position of deputy director general of the department while serving as ambassador to Nepal.
The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior embassy posts as it moves to replace the US diplomatic posture abroad with personnel deemed fully supportive of President Donald Trump’s “America First” priorities, said the AP report. The US State Department has stated that an ambassador is “a personal representative of the president and it is the president’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda.”
The chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their tenures would end in January, two State Department officials told the AP.
Thompson had presented his credential to the then President Bidya Devi Bhandari on October 21, 2022. He is a member of the senior foreign service and has more than 28 years of experience in US diplomacy. According to the AP report, besides Kathmandu, the Trump administration also recalled its ambassador from Sri Lanka.
In the meantime, Chinese ambassador Chen has already started his farewell calls and met Prime Minister Sushila Karki and other officials and leaders. Beijing has not yet named his successor but has already identified a potential candidate to replace him. The announcement of the new envoy will be made soon, said a foreign ministry official.
Chen arrived in Kathmandu on January 8, 2023 to take up his diplomatic assignment.
Addressing a farewell ceremony at the Chinese Embassy on Sunday, the outgoing envoy stated that the relationship between China and Nepal is unique and expressed his commitment to supporting Nepal’s development efforts wherever he may be.
“Before I came to Nepal, I was a supporter of China-Nepal friendship. Three years later, I can proudly say that I have become a lifelong friend of the Nepali and Chinese people,” he said, reflecting on his diplomatic journey in Kathmandu.
“Regardless of the responsibilities I hold in the future, I will continue to support Nepal to the best of my ability,” he said. “Nepal and Nepali people will always remain in my heart and mind.”
He had also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the government of Nepal, civil servants, colleagues in the diplomatic community, media professionals, and all sections of Nepali society for the support he received.