DPM Shrestha reaches Beijing for an official visit

Kathmandu, March 25: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha reached Beijing, the capital of China, Monday.

He is currently on an official visit to the People’s Republic of China till April 1 at the invitation of Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi. Mr Wang is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Chang Maoming, Nepali Ambassador to China Bishnu Pukar Shrestha and senior officials of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed him at the Daxing International Airport in Beijing.

DPM Shrestha is scheduled to call on his Chinese counterpart and high level dignitaries from different provinces of China.

During the visit he is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Wang on March 26.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shrestha is scheduled to meet with the Central Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Wang Hunin.

Similarly he will meet with the Deputy Minister of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party, Sun Haiyan.

DPM Shrestha on Saturday had held consultations with high officials of various ministries in connection with making his China visit result-oriented. In the meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DPM Shrestha had acquired information on the status of implementation of agreements signed with the friendly country China.

The participants on the occasion had suggested to the DPM and Foreign Affairs Minister to hold discussions with the Chinese side on topics including energy, trade, tourism, connectivity, agriculture, technology transfer, border management.

In the consultative meeting with the high officials, DPM Shrestha had said his visit would be focused on strengthening the bilateral ties and enhancing mutual cooperation between the two countries. “My present visit to China will contribute towards further strengthening the relations between the two nations as well as deepening the mutual cooperative ties. Discussions will be held with the Chinese side regarding the implementation process of the agreements reached with China so far,” DPM Shrestha had added.

Present in the discussions were the National Security Advisor Shanker Das Bairagi, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal, Finance Ministry Secretary (Revenue) Dr Ram Prasad Ghimire, Defence Ministry Secretary Kiran Raj Sharma, Energy Ministry Secretary Gopal Prasad Sigdel and Irrigation Secretary Sushil Chandra Tiwari, among other officials.