Oli consults former PMs on China visit

Kathmandu, June 17

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today held consultations with former prime ministers and told them that he would make his China visit successful in all respects.

According to a press release issued by the PM’s private secretariat, the PM told the former primer ministers that he would take their suggestions positively and keep in mind the national interests of the country.

Prior to his consultations with the former prime ministers, the PM also discussed issues related to his China visit with Foreign Minister Pradip Kumar Gyawali. According to the

release, the PM told Minister Gyawali that Nepal’s bilateral relations with China would reach a new height after his visit to the northern neighbour.

The PM also told Gyawali that in the context of enhanced understanding between China and India, he was confident that Nepal would be able to achieve more opportunities for development. The PM also said that during his visit understanding would be reached on opening five more entry points on the Nepal-China border.

According to PM’s Press Advisor Kundan Aryal, Minister Gyawali told the meeting held between the PM and former prime ministers that the PM’s visit to China was expected to take the bilateral relations between Nepal and China to a new height in a changed context when Nepal achieved the goal of political stability and China was also moving under the leadership of President Xi Jinping who has won presidency for the second term.

Gyawali also told the meeting that the government was committed to implementing past pacts signed with China during KP Sharma Oli’s first premiership and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to China.

Minister Gyawali also told the meeting that during PM’s China visit, efforts would be made to seek China’s assistance for laying transmission lines and to enhance bilateral cooperation in the energy sector. Minister Gyawali also told the meeting that the efforts would be made to prepare detailed project report of the railway projects. Nepal wants to build railway lines from Keirung to Kathmandu and from Kathmandu to Pokhara with Chinese assistance.

Former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal told the PM that Nepal should make efforts to forge a strategic partnership with the northern neighbour.

Dahal told PM Oli that he was glad that momentum was being built for forging a trilateral partnership between Nepal, China and India.

According to Aryal, former PM Jhala Nath Khanal said people of Nepal had high hopes from the current government of for expediting railway projects with China.

Former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba wished the PM a successful visit.

Former PM Baburam Bhattarai handed over a 10-point memorandum to the PM telling him not to discuss the height of Mount Everest for the Government of Nepal had not prepared well on the issue. Bhattarai also told the meeting that Nepal should work as a bridge between two giant economies — China and India. He also told the PM that it would be better if the government signed two separate agreements on trade and transit with China.

Former chairman of Council of Ministers Khil Raj Regmi said the government should make efforts to bring adequate investment from China to the country.

According to Aryal, the PM told the former PMs that he would take their suggestions positively.