Kathmandu, October 27

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ishwar Pokhrel held bilateral talks with China’s State Councillor and Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe in Beijing today.

At the meeting, Pokhrel highlighted the excellent state of relations between Nepal and the People’s Republic of China, and mentioned that the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries, including that of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in June, had contributed to elevate bilateral relations to new heights by helping enhance trust and confidence at the highest political level.

He further emphasised the importance of military cooperation, hardware in humanitarian and disaster management, and medical equipment and peace-keeping operations, and sought Chinese support for establishment of Defence University in Nepal.

According to a press release issued by the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing, Wei appreciated Nepal’s one-China policy and support to Tibet issue, and expressed China’s willingness to further strengthen cooperation between the armies of the two countries.

Wei agreed to provide necessary support to Nepal as proposed by Minister Pokhrel. The details of such cooperation would be finalised through mutual consultation between the two sides, the release stated.

Following the meeting, Pokhrel and Wei signed an agreement whereby China will provide an assistance of RMB 150 million (around Rs 2.5 billion) to Nepal over a period of five years for the purpose of humanitarian and disaster relief equipment. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Pokhrel addressed the plenary session on ‘UN Peacekeeping: Challenges and Cooperation’ at the eighth  Xiangshan Forum of Defence Ministers in Beijing yesterday.

In his statement, Pokhrel highlighted the important role of UN peacekeeping operations in saving lives and promoting human rights, and said that Nepal attached great importance to peacekeeping operations for promoting world peace and security.

Expressing Nepal’s appreciation of China’s strong support to UN peacekeeping operations, he lauded China’s consistent efforts in maintaining international peace and security and strengthening the multilateral system.

Pokhrel also met Vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of China Gen XuQiliang.

Various matters pertaining to mutual interests, such as bilateral cooperation in military training, disaster management, provision of medical assistance and equipment, and peacekeeping, were discussed during the meeting, the release stated.