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Kathmandu, Aug 31: Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasised that the Lipulekh dispute should be resolved through negotiations between Nepal and India. During a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Saturday (August 31) at the Tianjin State Guesthouse, Xi said China does not question Nepal’s claim over Lipulekh.

Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai said Oli had objected to the India-China agreement to use Nepal’s Lipulekh as a trade route. Quoting Oli, he added: “As per the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, all land east of the Mahakali belongs to Nepal. We believe China will support Nepal on this matter.”

In response, Xi said China does not wish to take sides in Nepal-India border issues. “The crossing has traditionally been used, but your boundary dispute with India is something for you two to resolve. You should understand that China does not compromise on Nepal’s claim,” Rai quoted Xi as saying.

The two sides also discussed Nepal-China friendship and cooperation. They agreed to strengthen bilateral mechanisms to expand cooperation.

On August 19, India and China had agreed to reopen trade through Lipulekh, which Nepal says lies within its territory. The deal drew sharp criticism in Nepal.

During the talks, Xi expressed China’s willingness to support Nepal’s vision of “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepalis,” according to Nepal’s embassy in Beijing. Xi also pledged cooperation at multilateral forums such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

“President Xi thanked Nepal for its adherence to the One-China policy and reaffirmed China’s continued support for Nepal’s development, including implementation of high-quality Belt and Road Initiative projects agreed by both countries,” the embassy statement read.

At Xi’s invitation, Oli traveled to Tianjin on Saturday morning to attend the SCO Summit. He is scheduled to address the SCO Plus Summit on September 1 and hold meetings with several world leaders on the sidelines.

According to the Foreign Ministry, efforts are underway to arrange a bilateral meeting between Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On September 2, Oli will meet Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing.

On September 3, he will also attend the event marking the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japanese aggression and the victory in the global anti-fascist war.

People’s News Monitoring Service