Aug 15, 2016- Special Envoy of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to China, Deputy PM Krishna Bahadur Mahara, embarks on a five-day official visit of the northern neighbour on Monday, carrying special messages from the President and the prime minister of Nepal to their respective Chinese counterparts.
Finance Minister Mahara will be travelling to Beijing via Chengdu with Joint-secretary at Foreign Ministry Jhabindra Aryal in the government’s bid to strengthen the ties with China and to dispel perceptions that the Dahal-led government would shy away from accords reached with Beijing during PM KP Sharma Oli’s tenure. Mahara will try to assure Beijing of Nepal’s readiness to host the Chinese president later this year.
Mahara will deliver the invitation extended by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to visit Nepal. In her message to President Xi, Bhandari recalls the friendly and deep relations between Nepal and China while reaffirming Kathmandu’s eagerness to continue to foster good relations. She also thanked China for its generous support to Nepal’s development endeavours.
Besides promising an environment conducive to the high-level visit, DPM Mahara will also discuss the status of pacts and agreements signed with China by the Oli government, said officials.
Mahara will assure the Chinese side that Nepal is committed to implementing the agreements and hosting the Chinese president in order to take bilateral relations to a new high, said officials.
Prime Minister Dahal’s letter, addressed to his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang, reiterates Nepal’s wish to strengthen and extend its good-neighbourly relations with both China and India. He also invited Premier Li to visit Nepal.
In Beijing, Mahara will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and probably one vice-president and some leaders from the Chinese Communist Party.
Officials said PM’s special envoy to India, DPM and Minister for Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi will embark on a visit to New Delhi by the end of this week carrying similar messages. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee is also expected to visit Nepal later this year.
