Nepal woos India, China with special envoys' visits

Prime Minister Prachanda sent a special envoy to China while another such emissary was set to visit India soon as part of Nepal's bid to woo its two giant neighbours and firm up bilateral ties after the formation of the new government.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara left for Beijing with an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Nepal.

Speaking to reporters at the Tribhuvan International Airport here before leaving, Mahara said the main objective of his visit is to further enhance bilateral relations between the two countries.

"I am leaving for China to strengthen the relation with China in the changed political context following the formation of the new government. We expect China's support to build good ties between Nepal and China and Chinese political leaders to visit Nepal," he was quoted as saying by My Republica.

Mahara also pledged to carry on and implement the agreements reached between the Chinese government and the former K P Oli-led government.

The Deputy Prime Minister is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart, foreign minister and senior officials of China's ruling Communist Party.

Mahara and Jhabindra Aryal, a joint-secretary at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will reach Beijing via Chengdu.

Earlier, the Cabinet meeting last week had decided to send Mahara to China and another Deputy Prime Minister Bimalendra Nidhi to India as the Prime Minister's special emissaries.

Nidhi's visit would focus on strengthening of relations between Nepal and India and President Pranab Mukherjee's Nepal visit.

The special envoy would also hold discussions with high-level officials over the cancellation of Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari's India visit.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who is also the Maoist chief, assumed office earlier this month for his second term as Prime Minister.