Kathmandu- Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal is set to visit China within days of concluding his first official trip to India, marking Nepal’s first high level official visit to Nepal’s northern neighbour since the formation of the new government in Kathmandu.
According to sources at Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Khanal will depart for Beijing in mid-June most likely from June 12-17, less than a week after returning from his three-day visit to India where he held talks with senior Indian leaders on trade, connectivity, investment and bilateral cooperation.
The Foreign Minister’s secretariat confirmed on Monday that Khanal will undertake his first official visit to China since assuming office.
While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to formally announce the itinerary, officials say he is expected to hold high-level meetings including with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Chief of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Liu Haixing during the visit.
Khanal is also expected to interact with members of the Nepali diaspora in China before returning to Kathmandu.
Earlier this month, Nepal and China held its third meeting of the Mechanism for Facilitation on the Implementation of Nepal-China Cooperation Programmes and Projects, where the two sides reviewed the status of Chinese-funded projects in the Himalayan nation.
The meeting comprehensively assessed the ongoing Nepal-China economic and development cooperation programmes and projects, said the foreign ministry.
Both sides also agreed on specific measures to expedite the timely and effective implementation of projects requiring immediate attention, the ministry said in a statement.
While officials have not disclosed the full agenda of the Beijing visit, discussions are expected to cover bilateral cooperation, economic engagement, connectivity projects and regional issues.
The timing of the visit has attracted attention as it follows immediately after Khanal’s visit to New Delhi where he met Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
During his India visit, Khanal sought to project a new approach towards Nepal’s foreign policy arguing that the government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah wants to focus on economic cooperation and development while managing longstanding disputes through dialogue.
Khanal’s China visit comes at a time when Nepal is seeking greater foreign investment, infrastructure support and economic partnerships to deliver on the promises made by the Rastriya Swatantra Party led government following its electoral victory earlier this year.
