Geng Shuang, a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, announced on Wednesday that KP Oli, the Prime Minister of Nepal was scheduled to arrive on a five-day visit to China, as part of deepening bilateral ties between the countries, on the 19th of June, 2018. PM Oli will thus undertake his first trip to a foreign country, besides India, as part of his official visit to confer with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Oli’s counterpart Li Keqiang.
The statement from Geng declared that Sino-Nepalese ties have been on an upward positive slope for a long while, with their bilateral friendship dating back for centuries. China and Nepal had always supported each other regarding issues of core interests, and their cooperation had proved to be mutually beneficial time and time again. Since this visit is scheduled to be the first interaction between China and Nepal after the latter finished its political transformation, Geng believed that it would give both the countries the chance to further develop their political as well as economic cooperation.
PM KP Oli has been extremely well known for his pro-Beijing stance, which surfaced back in 2015 when Kathmandu and New Delhi had to go through a fall-out after Nepal accused India’s new blockade of their border to have been intrusive to the domestic politics of Nepal. Following that incident, PM Oli signed various projects and schemes with China, including an approval towards Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.