Nepal’s decision to ratify a $500 million American grant should be respected by all sides, a government official said Sunday, following China’s opposition to the project and pressure from political parties not to ratify the grant. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government aid agency, made an agreement with Nepal’s government in 2017 to fund the country’s 187-mile electricity transmission line and road improvement project. Washington said the aid does not need to be repaid, and it comes without conditions. But major political parties were divided on concerns that it would undermine Nepal’s laws and sovereignty due to a lack of control over the projects, causing the agreement to be delayed. Nepal’s Parliament eventually ratified the agreement on Feb. 27, with the government assuring that the MCC compact was not part of Washington’s Indo–Pacific strategy and served no military purpose. Prakash Sharan Mahat, the Nepali Congress party’s spokesperson and …