The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha’s formal visit to China is formally announced by MoFA on Saturday.
Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the foreign minister of China, has invited Minister Shrestha to travel to China for official business. Important diplomatic talks will take place during the visit, which runs from March 24 to April 1. On March 26, there will be a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha will also have meetings with distinguished representatives from several Chinese provinces when he is in Beijing.
However, Bishnu Rijal, a central committee member of the CPN UML, has raised concerns about the duration of Shrestha’s visit. Rijal questioned the necessity of a nine-day visit and compared it to previous diplomatic engagements.
Notably, in recent days, discussions have intensified regarding Nepal’s involvement in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with plans to finalize the implementation agreement. Despite ongoing deliberations at the highest levels, a definitive decision regarding the agreement remains pending.
Nepal initially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to join the BRI in 2017, yet progress has been sluggish, with no projects initiated under the initiative thus far. Despite selecting nine projects for implementation, formal agreements between Nepal and China have yet to materialize.
After years of negotiation, Nepal’s confirmation of the BRI implementation agreement signals a renewed commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation with China, despite previous setbacks and disagreements over investment terms.
