KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 30
Amidst Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's visit and all of the buzz surrounding the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal in the diplomatic and political arenas, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson Krishna Prasad Dhakal for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the BRI is on the table and will be discussed.
"Discussions are ongoing on several issues, and negotiations are also underway on the issue of BRI, which will be further discussed during PM Oli's impending official visit to China," he stated.
He also stated that discussions are ongoing regarding bilateral agreements and understandings that will be reached during PM Oli's upcoming visit to China.
"This time, there will be more discussions, particularly about areas of cooperation like connectivity, trade, investment, tourism, infrastructure development, agriculture, and so on. I am confident that the cooperation will expand further," said Joint Secretary Dhakal.
Meanwhile, details of the Chinese side's proposal to negotiate under the Chinese BRI concept were previously disclosed. The government also established a working group for internal discussion and planning.
The CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress leaders, who lead the government, disagree on the issue of not taking immediate loans under the BRI.
While Congress leaders argue that they should not take loans under the BRI, some UML leaders argue that their position is inappropriate. However, Prime Minister Oli stated in a recent meeting that there will be no agreement with China to take a loan this year.
Foreign Minister Rana, on the other hand, told reporters at Tribhuvan International Airport before departing for China on Thursday that the ruling parties had no disagreement on the BRI implementation plan.
"The media created this difference of opinion," she said. Regardless of how many leaders the party has, our team is discussing how to proceed with this (BRI).There is no such difference of opinion."
Foreign Minister Rana is currently in China, preparing for Prime Minister Oli's visit, which begins on Monday. Before returning to Kathmandu, she met with the Chinese Foreign Minister to discuss plans for Oli's visit on Friday.
On Friday, the MoFA stated that Oli will pay an official visit to China from December 2 to 5 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. During his visit, he will have bilateral discussions with Premier Li and exchange views on issues of mutual interest.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to meet with Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing. Prime Minister Oli will hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, and exchange views on matters of mutual interest. PM Oli will also hold a meeting with Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China.
Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, confirmed that Oli's official visit team will consist of 87 members, including 39 members from government and 48 from the private sector.
According to reports, other ministers were excluded from the visiting party except the Foreign Minister because it was uncertain whether an agreement on any ministry-related project would be reached during the Prime Minister's visit.
