KATHMANDU: The Nepalese Prime Minister will visit China next month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday (November 29), a departure from the usual practice of the leaders of the Himalayan republic of making India their first official destination.
Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, returned to power in Julyleaves on a four-day trip on Tuesday and is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and hold talks with Premier Li Qiang.
Oli, who is serving as prime minister for the third time this year, has previously struck a balance between Nepal’s two powerful neighbors but has favored Beijing in a bid to reduce his country’s historic dependence on New Delhi.
“This visit will focus on the implementation of previous agreements which have been slowed down due to the pandemic and political changes in Nepal,” Pradeep Gyawali, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist-Leninist, told AFP unified (CPN-UML) of Oli.
Gyawali said the discussions would include advance investment agreements, notably for the recently completed construction of an international airport in the tourist hub of Pokhara, and there was talk that the Chinese loan securing the project could be converted into a grant.
Nepali media reported that Oli likely chose Beijing as his first destination due to the lack of an official invitation from New Delhi.
