Chinese president may visit Nepal in March

Kathmandu, December 18

Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit Nepal in March 2018. High-level political sources said China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had listed Nepal among the countries that the Chinese president would visit in 2018 and also started ground work for the Chinese president’s visit to Nepal.

Sources said President Xi would assume his second presidency in February after Spring Festival and would start visiting foreign countries in March.

The Chinese side had prepared for President Xi’s Nepal visit last year, but it cancelled it due to change of government in Nepal. Sources said the Chinese president’s visit would have a symbolic significance after the left alliance’s victory in provincial and parliamentary elections.

“For China, the left alliance’s victory is victory of a China-friendly force,” the source added.

Xi took over the presidency in 2012 and will begin his second term as president in February. In China, the ruling Communist Party general secretary rules the country for two consecutive terms.