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By Our Reporter

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is embarking on an official visit to China on December 1.

After failing to get an invitation from India, Prime Minister Oli is now preparing to fly to the northern neighbour.

A Cabinet meeting held on Monday decided to send Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba to China on November 28 as part of preparation for the PM’s visit. She will make preparations from November 28 to 30 and will join the PM’s entourage.

After the news about PM’s visit to China was made public two weeks ago, there were speculations about whether PM Oli would ink any agreement to accept loans for projects under BRI. It was also rumoured that Indians and Americans were exerting pressure on PM Oli not to ink any deal on BRI while the Nepali Congress, the key partner of the present coalition government led by Oli, has been against accepting loans under BRI.

The leaders of the two parties held meetings on the issue and finally agreed not to accept the loan.

Only after reaching a consensus, PM Oli on Monday held a meeting with the former prime ministers and former foreign ministers in Kathmandu and announced that no loan under BRI would be accepted.

 During a discussion at the Office of the Prime Minister with former prime ministers, foreign ministers, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding his upcoming visit to China, the Prime Minister assured this by dispelling concerns about potential loan agreements during the visit.

He told them that no project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) currently involves loans and that borrowing from China is not a matter of contention at this time.

Prime Minister Oli remarked, “There is no basis for indulging in unnecessary rumours about loans being taken to trap the country in debt. Our relationship with China is longstanding and friendly. This visit aims to further strengthen and deepen the friendship between the two nations.”

He also refuted the rumours about any disputes between the ruling parties, Nepali Congress and UML, regarding his China visit. “Our actions will always align with world peace and Nepal’s interests. I encourage everyone to have confidence in this,” said Prime Minister Oli.

Prime Minister Oli also said to former prime ministers that Nepal shares an equally friendly relationship with its other neighbour, India, and stressed the importance of leveraging these friendly ties to advance Nepal’s economic development.

During the discussion, former Prime Minister and Chairman of the Maoist Center, Pushpa Kamal Dahal remarked that he had broken the tradition by visiting China first in the past.

Referring to his statement to The Hindu, Dahal clarified that his statement was not intended to suggest that Prime Minister Oli was playing the ‘China card,’ but rather to emphasise that such issues should not be used to exploit the country’s political fluctuations.

Dahal’s statement drew condemnation from UML and diplomats.

Speaking at the same meeting, Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba said that the ruling two-party mechanism was working on the agenda for the Prime Minister’s China visit, and all the agendas would be finalised soon at the Prime Ministerial level.

She also clarified that there is no dispute between the two parties regarding the Prime Minister’s China visit.

Former Prime Ministers Jhala Nath Khanal, Madhav Kumar Nepal, former Chairman of the Council of Ministers Khilraj Regmi, former Foreign Ministers Ishwor Pokhrel, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Bhesh Bahadur Thapa, NP Saud, Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani and Dr. Bimala Rai Poudyal, among others were present in the meeting.

When PM Oli was holding a meeting with the former PMs and foreign ministers in Kathmandu, Nepali Congress president and former prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was in Janakpur. Coincidentally, Deuba also said in Janakpur that Nepal would not accept loans under BRI.

Likewise, on Tuesday, Communication and Information Technology Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung said in Kavre that the government would not ink a loan agreement with China during the PM’s visit.

Now it is clear that during PM Oli’s China visit, Nepal will not accept loans under BRI. If Nepal does not accept the loan, the agreement on BRI looks unlikely and the agreement inked seven years ago will not be implemented in near future.