Nepal's PM to visit China next week

Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Oli will pay a five-day official visit to China, his second trip to a foreign country after India, since taking power in the Himalayan nation.

Oli, who is considered pro-Beijing, will visit China from June 19-24 and hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

"China and Nepal are comprehensive and cooperative partners and enjoy the friendship of generations. Their ties have been accelerating with a sound momentum," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said here on Wednesday.

This is Oli's first official visit to China after returning to power in February.

"The two countries have been supporting each other on issues of core interests. Our mutually beneficial cooperation has been accelerating on all fronts. As a first visit by Oli after Nepal finished its political transformation, it will offer important opportunities to two sides to make plans for further development of bilateral ties," Geng said.

"China looks forward to deepening its political cooperation with Nepal under the Belt and Road initiative and deepening cooperation in political, economic and building infrastructure in the aftermath of the earthquake," he added.

During Oli's first tenure in 2015, Kathmandu's ties with its conventional ally New Delhi took a beating over the framing of new Constitution, which led to a blockade of the border with India.

Oli blamed India for the blockade, accusing it of interfering in Nepal's domestic politics. Since then, he is considered pro-Beijing after he signed a flurry of projects with the country.

Nepal has approved China's Belt and Road project and receives its largest foreign aid from Beijing.

--IANS

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