Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha is traveling to China today. He will be leading a seven-member delegation to attend a trade fair in Chengdu.
Bilateral engagements and visit exchanges between Nepal and China have increased in recent days. Only last week, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Ramesh Rijal attended the 13th Xinjiang-Kashi-Central Asia and South Asia Commodity Fair organized by the Kashi Prefecture Administration of China.
Rijal delivered a statement at the opening ceremony of the event on 21 June, where he said that fairs and expos offered a good platform for exhibitors, entrepreneurs, and businessmen from South Asia and Central Asia to showcase their products, as well as to strengthen economic and people-to-people relations. He also appreciated the trade facilities provided by China to Nepali products while stressing the need for bolstering Nepali exports to China.
In the second week of June, Chairman of the National Assembly, Ganesh Prasad Timalsena, also visited China. He met the Chairman of China’s People’s Congress, Zhao Leji, and the two agreed to advance cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries. Leji said that leaders of the two countries have elevated the China-Nepal relationship to a strategic partnership of cooperationfeaturing ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity.
Beijing has also stepped up efforts to strengthen people-to-people relations with Nepal. For instance, Himalayan Airlines resumed its direct flight between Kathmandu and Beijing this week following a three-year interval caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Nepali Embassy in China, direct flight between Kathmandu and Beijing, which takes place every Saturday, will play a significant role in promoting tourism, and socio-economic and cultural relations between the two countries.
Also this week, a Sichuan Airlines charter flight arrived at the Pokhara International Airport this week, making it the first international flight to land at Nepal’s third international airport since its inauguration in January. This week Nepal-China Friendship Dragon Boat Race Festival was organized in Pokhara where Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song said that it is an implementation of China’s Global Civilization Initiative (GCI).
WeChat Pay, a mobile payment service run by China’s tech giant Tencent, was launched in Pokhara, while Tencent is joining hands with Nepal’s NMB Bank to launch the service. All these developments within a short period of time indicate China’s softer approach toward the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government. Prime Minister Dahal himself is likely to visit China later this year to further cement the Nepal-China ties. Dahal visited India from May 31-June 3 this year.
Source here.
