Nepal's Prime Minister Begins Six-day Official Visit To China

Nepali Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli with a 100-plus delegation began a six-day official visit to China here on Tuesday at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jun, 2018 ) :Nepali Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli with a 100-plus delegation began a six-day official visit to China here on Tuesday at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

During his visit, the Nepalese prime minister will call on the Chinese leaders such as President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

According to a Chinese foreign ministry's spokesperson, China and Nepal are all generations of friendly and cooperative partners and the relations between the two countries have always maintained a good momentum of development.

"The two sides support each other on issues concerning their mutual interests and the mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields has developed rapidly," Geng Shuang commented.

He said it is Nepal's prime minister first visit to China after the completion of political transformation, and added, this provides an important opportunity for the leaders of the two countries to further plan and lead the development of China-Nepal relations under the new situation.

The Chinese side looks forward to receiving the Nepalese prime minister's visit to China as an opportunity to deepen China-Nepal cooperation in the "Belt and Road" framework, strengthen cooperation in politics, economy and trade, infrastructure, post-disaster reconstruction and humanities, and push bilateral relations to a new level.

A senior leader of Nepal's ruling party, Communist Party of Nepal (NCP), said Oli's visit will see the two countries sign a number of agreements, adding that projects under the Belt and Road Initiative as well as China's plan for an India-Nepal-China economic corridor are also expected to be discussed.

Ambassador of Nepal to China Leela Mani Paudyal told the China Global Television Network that the visit "would focus on building trust between the two countries on the highest level." China's willingness to share its experience on development with neighboring countries is an opportunity for Nepal, Paudyal added.

The ambassador said the two sides have a wide range of cooperation areas, such as infrastructure and hydropower, as Nepal holds great energy potentials.

Nepal's relations with China and India are independent, Paudyal said, adding that Nepal can cooperate with both China and India as a sovereign country.

Paudyal said his country wants to be part of the "Economic Corridor" China has proposed and to benefit from it.

During Oli's visit to China in 2016, the two sides signed a landmark transit tread deal and explored further opportunities for a free trade deal.

Nepal has agreed to prepare a feasibility study and the negotiations are due to start after the study, Paudyal added.

On the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the ambassador said Nepal is expected to draw benefits from its participation in the framework, though the country has lagged behind due to elections.

In response to the reports on West Seti hydropower project hitting a roadblock, which raised concerns about investment in Nepal, Paudyal said negotiations are currently underway and a license has been issued.

Oli, who first visited China in March 2016 as a prime minister, agreed to cooperate more under the Belt and Road Initiative and signed some "historic agreements" including a trade and transit agreement that, at least in principle, ends India's monopoly over Nepal's supply system.