Nepal PM Oli embarks on four-day China visit

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Monday embarked on a four-day official visit to China, his maiden trip to any neighbouring country in this term, during which he is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on various issues of mutual interest.

Oli is visiting Beijing at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said.

During the visit from December 2-5, Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi in Beijing and hold bilateral talks with Premier Li to discuss matters of mutual interest, the ministry said in a statement. He is leading a  39-member delegation to China.

His spouse Radhika Shakya is also accompanying him on the visit.

Oli will also meet Zhao Leji, Chair of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. He will be a keynote speaker at an event to be held at Peking University in Beijing.

Oli, regarded as a pro-China leader, heads a coalition government consisting of his Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and the Nepali Congress, which seeks balanced ties with China and India.

With the visit, Oli broke with the usual practice by Nepali prime ministers making India their first destination in the neighbourhood after assuming charge, except former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who visited China ahead of India in 2008.

During the visit, the two sides are also expected to discuss a new plan to revive the BRI projects, which failed to materialise even after seven years they were signed with much fanfare, according to reports. Kathmandu was an early signatory to BRI in South Asia.

The BRI is a mega connectivity project that connects China with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Russia and Europe.