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Kathmandu, December 2: Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli is leaving for Beijing today at 11 am from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

He is flying directly to Beijing by the Himalayan Airlines.

PM Oli is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang and exchange views on matters of mutual interests, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

The MoFA also said that connectivity projects, trade and investment, agriculture and tourism sector development are the top agenda that will be discussed during PM Oli’s meeting with Premier Li. This time, Nepal’s priority will be to implement the past agreements signed with the northern neighbour. The ruling coalition has also agreed to accept grant-based projects rather than loan-based ones. Nevertheless, the ruling alliance has remained silent on whether to accept projects under Chinese debts under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Nepal government has decided to sign on the BRI Cooperation Framework, yet, it has not been made clear that Nepal would not accept any Chinese projects under debts.

During the bilateral talks, Nepal is going to propose to convert the loan obtained from China Exim Bank to construct the Pokhara International Airport into a grant.

According to the MoFA, Nepal has also accorded priority to cross-border connectivity including the all-weather highway and railways.

PM Oli, during his stay in Beijing, is also scheduled to meet with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China.

He will also deliver a keynote address at the Peking University, one of the best higher-education institutions in China, MoFA stated.

He will also address the Nepal-China Business Forum, which is being jointly hosted by the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).

Oli’s spouse Radhika Shakya, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, PM’s Chief Advisor Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Economic and Development Advisor Yuba Raj Khatiwada, members of the parliament; high-ranking government officials; representatives of the private sector and media persons are included in the 87-member delegation led by PM Oli.

Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, Finance Secretary, Dr. Ram Prasad Ghimire, Acting Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, and CEO of the Investment Board of Nepal Sushil Gyawali are also members of his delegation.   

People’s News Monitoring Service.