High-level Chinese official visits Nepal ahead of general elections
Sep 12, 2022
Kathmandu [Nepal], September 12 : The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, Li Zhanshu, arrived in Kathmandu on Monday.
The visit of the Chinese official comes at a time when the Himalayan Nation is revamping election preparations and parties discussing possible alliances for the November polls.
Li landed in Nepal's capital Kathmandu on Monday afternoon leading a delegation of 67 members starting his four-day official visit to Nepal at the invitation of Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota. During the visit, Li is scheduled to meet two former Prime Ministers along with the incumbent Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and the President.
On the first visit, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress held bilateral talks with the speaker of Nepal Parliament Agni Prasad Sapkota at the parliament building in New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, on Monday.
"The two leaders exchanged views on various aspects of bilateral ties in Tilicho Hall of Parliament building," the parliament secretariat informed.
On Tuesday, the visiting Chinese senior official will meet the Chairman of the National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timilsina which will be followed by a courtesy call on former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
The meeting with Nepal's former Communist Prime Ministers will be given more focus as China has been trying to bring the coalition of communist parties back. The two former Prime Ministers Oli and Dahal split after intra-party-rift within two years of their formal merger. Chinese envoy in Kathmandu has been making attempts to bring the two colluding parties back on track with the announcement of the elections for November 20 this year.
Later in the afternoon on Tuesday, the Chinese official will make a courtesy call to Nepal's Minister for Foreign Affairs and then meet the Prime Minister later in the afternoon.
On Wednesday, the senior Chinese official will make a courtesy call on President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and will return home on September 15 on a special flight.
