Trip follows India visit earlier this month as Nepal engages both neighbours
KATHMANDU, JUNE 14
Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal departed for Beijing today on a four-day official visit to China, his second major diplomatic trip in as many weeks after a visit to India earlier this month, a back-to-back engagement with Nepal's two giant neighbours that underscores the new government's push to reframe Kathmandu's relationships with both.
Khanal is travelling at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. He is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on June 17.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Khanal will hold formal bilateral talks with Wang Yi in Beijing, focusing on strengthening Nepal-China relations and advancing mutual cooperation. He will also meet senior Chinese officials during his stay.
On the economic front, Khanal will participate in an investment conference organised by the Nepali Embassy in Beijing aimed at attracting Chinese investment into Nepal, and will interact with the Chinese business community on the sidelines. The embassy will host a reception in his honour, during which he will also meet with members of the Nepali community in China.
China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson confirmed the visit, and the Chinese Embassy in Nepal posted on social media that Khanal would be in China from June 14 to 17 at Wang Yi's invitation.
The China trip follows Khanal's three-day official visit to New Delhi from June 5 to 7, where he held bilateral talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Those discussions covered trade, investment, connectivity, energy cooperation, and people-to-people ties.
