Press Release issued by Embassy of Nepal, Beijing on the ongoing visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal to China

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Press Release on the ongoing visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal to China

 

  1. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Nepal Hon’ble Mr. Krishna Bahadur Mahara is on an official visit to the People’s Republic of China from 6-11 September, 2017 at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.
  1. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs called on H.E. Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, at Zhongnanhai, Beijing this afternoon. During the meeting, Hon’ble Mahara conveyed the greetings of Rt. Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba to Premier H.E. Li. Stressing on the fact that Nepal and China have been working closely to capitalize the opportunities brought about by the BRI, he expressed his conviction that the initiative would enhance mutual co-operation in the fields of developing cross-border connectivity, building physical infrastructure, promoting trade, tourism, investment and people-to-people relations. Hon’ble Mahara said that he had come up with a common consensus among major political leaders in the government and in the opposition to carry forward railway connectivity as a national priority project. Both sides agreed to take necessary measures to carry out technical study of the project. Both sides also agreed to continue the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries.
  1. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Hon’ble Mahara called on H.E. Yang Jiechi, State Councilor of the People’s Republic of China, at Zhongnanhai, Beijing this afternoon. In the meeting, Hon’ble Mahara said that the Government of Nepal has accorded high importance to the implementation of MoU on BRI signed between the two countries. He expressed the conviction that being a close neighbor, Nepal’s development needs and aspirations would be prioritized and given due place under the Belt and Road Initiative. State Councilor H.E. Yang said that the two countries should elevate their relations to a new height with a long-term vision and implement projects under the BRI for mutual benefit.
  1. Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Hon’ble Mahara held bilateral talks with H.E. Mr. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.
  1. During the talks, the two sides expressed happiness over the excellent state of bilateral relations between Nepal and China, and exchanged views on further expanding co-operation. The two sides agreed to implement the agreements and understandings reached in the past and convene the meetings of established bilateral mechanisms.
  1. Hon’ble Mahara expressed Nepal’s strong support to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and said that Nepal stands to benefit from it. He also appreciated China’s continued development assistance and support for post-earthquake reconstruction activities. Hon’ble Mahara expressed his happiness over the upgradation of the Kerung-Rasuwagadhi border point as an international port, and hoped that the Tatopani border point would resume operations soon. A joint Press Conference was held following the bilateral talks. H.E. Wang Yi hosted a luncheon in honor of Hon’ble Mahara.
  1. In the evening, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Hon’ble Mahara attended a reception hosted in his honor by the Embassy of Nepal, Beijing. Ambassador Leela Mani Paudyal delivered a welcome speech, which was followed by the address of Hon’ble Mahara. In his remarks, Hon’ble Mahara said that Nepal and China have witnessed continuous consolidation of their relations in recent years, and that this visit had helped in strengthening them further. Representatives of Beijing-based think tanks, academia and business community, members of the Nepali diaspora, friends of Nepal as well as members of the diplomatic community in Beijing attended the function.
  1. A Memorandum of Understanding on Energy Co-operation between the Ministry of Energy of the Government of Nepal and the National Energy Administration of the People’s Republic of China was initialed at the Embassy of Nepal, Beijing today. The MoU was initialed by Mr. Sushil K Lamsal, Deputy Chief of Mission/Minister, Embassy of Nepal on behalf of the Ministry of Energy, Government of Nepal and by Mr. He Yang, Deputy Director General, on behalf of the National Energy Administration of China. This understanding will pave the way for expanding co-operation between the two countries in the development of power generation projects and joint investment in power grid including feasibility study in cross-border power grid interconnection, among others. Similarly, an MoU was signed between the Embassy of Nepal, Beijing and Zhongjing run Tourism Investment Company Ltd. at the Embassy of Nepal today for undertaking activities to promote Nepal’s tourism in China, including Buddhist tourism.

 

Embassy of Nepal
Beijing
7 September 2017