Kathmandu, September 9

Nepal and China have agreed to implement agreements and understandings reached between the two sides in the past, and underscored the importance of exchange of high-level visits on a regular basis to develop mutual trust and confidence.

During delegation-level bilateral talks between Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and visiting State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi this afternoon, the two sides exchanged substantive views on promoting bilateral economic cooperation with special focus on trade, investment and tourism.

Besides agreeing to continue cooperation in regional and multilateral forums on matters of mutual interests, the two ministers expressed satisfaction over expanding and deepening relations between Nepal and China in recent years and agreed to further promote cooperation in areas of mutual interest, according to a MoFA press statement.

During the talks, Gyawali appreciated China’s continued support for Nepal’s socio-economic development and underlined the need of strengthening cooperation in the fields of connectivity, infrastructure, energy and education. In his reply, Wang assured Gyawali of Chinese support to Nepal’s development endeavours.

Following bilateral talks, the ministers witnessed signing of two letters of exchange and a memorandum of understanding. The letters of exchange are related to Hospital Recovery Project in Manang for which the Chinese side has pledged around Rs 350 million and 5,000 units of emergency shelter tents.

A Memorandum of Understanding on Volunteer Chinese Teachers’ Programme in Nepal was also inked between the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Government of Nepal and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.

As per the agreement China will provide volunteers to teach Chinese language in Nepali schools.

Also today, Wang paid courtesy calls on President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. During the meeting between Oli and Wang, the former expressed his commitment to elevating Nepal-China relations to new heights by implementing agreements reached between the two sides during Oli’s last visit to Beijing, according to Oli’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Rajan Bhattarai.

“China has accorded high importance to Nepal and expanded cooperation in areas such as education, social, and infrastructure development,” Oli was quoted as saying by Bhattarai after the meeting.

The courtesy meeting between Wang and Bhandari dwelt on issues of bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest. In the meeting, President Bhandari said such exchanges of high-level visits would help further strengthen historical bilateral ties between the two countries, according to the Office of the President.

In the evening, Gyawali hosted a welcome dinner in honour of visiting Chinese minister and his delegation.

Wang, who arrived in Kathmandu yesterday evening, visited Chandragiri Hills this morning where he spent around two hours. Before leaving for China tomorrow at around 1:00 pm, Wang will meet Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Co-chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba.

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