Beijing/Kathmandu: President Xi Jinping on Tuesday lauded visiting Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's commitment to promote China-Nepal relations and pledged to advance strategic ties with Kathmandu as both sides inked nine agreements. Oli arrived in Beijing on Monday on a four-day visit to China, his first official visit to that country after assuming office for the fourth time.


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Xi met Oli and expressed appreciation for the Nepalese leader's firm commitment to promoting friendship between the two sides over a long period, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. He also pledged efforts to advance the strategic partnership of cooperation with Nepal where Beijing has scaled up its investments in the last decade, expanding its influence in the landlocked country located between India and China.


Xi said China and Nepal, linked by the same mountains and rivers, are good neighbours, good friends and good partners, and bilateral relations have maintained sound and steady development. Noting that next year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Xi said China places Nepal in an important position in its neighbourhood diplomacy and is willing to work with Nepal to consolidate traditional friendship and push for new progress in advancing the China-Nepal strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity.


Oli, regarded as a pro-China leader, heads a coalition government consisting of his Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and the Nepali Congress, which seeks balanced ties with China and India. Oli, who succeeded Pushpa Kumar Dahal alias Prachanda to become Prime Minister for a fourth time in July, visited Beijing twice during his previous terms.


He opted to visit China first in his new term breaking from the past practice of Nepali prime ministers making India their first destination in the neighbourhood, amid media reports that he did not get an invitation from New Delhi. Oli's visit to Beijing is taking place amid concerns in both countries that none of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects signed between the two countries in 2017 with much fanfare has taken off.


"We signed the BRI framework in 2017 and whatever assistance and support we receive from China now is in the periphery of the BRI. Things have not moved beyond that," Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, who visited Chengdu last week ahead of Oli's visit and held talks with her counterpart Wang Yi, told the Nepalese media.


Reports from Kathmandu said Xi and Oli discussed connectivity, industrial development, infrastructural development and trade and tourism among other issues. Earlier, Oli held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang in Beijing, the Prime Minister's Secretariat said in Kathmandu.
Krishna Prasad Dhakal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in Kathmandu that nine agreements were signed during the visit, including several memorandums of understanding (MoUs).


Agreements that were signed include an exchange of letters regarding the construction of the Tokha-Chhahari tunnel road near Kathmandu; an MoU on Nepal-China trade promotion, and an exchange of certificates of completion of the renovation of the historic nine-storey palace situated in Basantapur in Kathmandu.


Also, MoUs on protocol relating to the export of thermally processed buffalo meat to China; on development and construction works; on economic and technical assistance; on Chinese language education, and on cooperation in communication technology between Nepal Television and China Media Group were signed.


There was also an exchange of letters relating to aid in cash, he said. According to a Xinhua report, Li told Oli that China stands ready to enhance the synergy of development strategies with Nepal, leverage the leading role of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in bilateral cooperation, actively expand two-way trade and investment, and strengthen connectivity at ports, roads, railways and airlines.


He said China encourages competent Chinese enterprises to invest in Nepal and is willing to import more quality products from Nepal. Li called on the two sides to deepen people-to-people exchanges and sub-national cooperation. China supports Nepal in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs and is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Nepal in multilateral arenas, Li said.


Oli told Li that Nepal's determination to abide by the One-China principle will not waver, and it will not allow any force to use Nepal's territory for anti-China activities. Nepal believes that Taiwan and Tibet are inalienable parts of China and Tibet-related affairs are China's internal affairs. Nepal has always regarded China as a reliable partner and is willing to take the opportunity of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year to further strengthen high-level exchanges with China, consolidate traditional friendship, promote practical cooperation in various fields, jointly cope with common challenges and strengthen coordination on multilateral affairs, Oli said.


Ahead of Oli's visit, the Nepal government announced that it has accepted projects worth USD 20 million as grant assistance from China. Besides, the Nepali Cabinet also decided to accept 300 million Chinese Yuan (USD 4.13 million approximately) worth of projects proposed by the government of China, the government spokesperson said.