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Nepali PM KP Sharma Oli with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The picture is from July 2021.
Nepal’s new Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is going to China on his first official foreign visit. According to the report of Kathmandu Post, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang has invited Oli for an official visit from 2 to 6 December.
According to the report, on November 5, the Chinese Ambassador handed over this invitation to Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Lamsal. It has been a tradition in Nepal that the one who becomes the new Prime Minister, first visits India.
Oli’s close advisers told The Kathmandu Post that he had hoped India would continue this tradition but even after four months of taking charge, no formal invitation has been received from India. Usually the Prime Minister of Nepal receives an invitation from New Delhi soon after assuming office.
KP Sharma Oli came to India for the first time as Prime Minister in February 2016. During this time PM Modi had welcomed him.
Oli came to India first after becoming PM for the first time KP Oli became the PM of Nepal for the first time in August 2015. After this he visited India in February 2016. A month later, in March, he traveled to China. Oli has become the PM of Nepal four times so far.
He remained in office for 10 months in 2015, 40 months in 2018 and three months in 2021. Oli took oath as PM on the fourth of July this year.
However, Oli had taken many anti-India steps in his previous tenure. It was during his time that the Nepal government had released the controversial map. Apart from this, he had also given many anti-India statements. This time, it is believed that the reason behind not sending invitation to KP Sharma Oli is that there has been a change in India’s policies regarding Nepal.
Oli’s visit to China was decided only in September At the same time, after China’s official invitation, Foreign Minister Arzoo Rana has canceled his visit to Azerbaijan. He was to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Summit from 11-22 November. But now President Ramchandra Paudel will undertake this visit in his place.
According to senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, Prime Minister Oli has requested the Foreign Minister to stay in the country and prepare for his visit to China.
According to the report, KP Sharma Oli had a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New York. During this, Wang had told him that he was ready to welcome him in December.
Airport built on China’s loan, now you can appeal for loan waiver Kathmandu Post quoted officials as saying that PM Oli will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Li Qiang during the visit. During this time, Oli will try to get the Chinese government to waive the loan given to Nepal. China has given a loan of about Rs 17 thousand crores to China for Pokhara International Airport.
According to the report, earlier on August 23, Nepal’s Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel had also appealed to China to waive the loan. He had said that Pokhara International Airport is not earning enough to repay its debt to China.
Pokhara International Airport was completed in January 2023. Initially international flights were operated from here. But due to lack of passengers it was limited to domestic flights.
Apart from this, Oli can also discuss BRI project during this tour. There is controversy regarding its implementation in Nepal. Nepali Congress, an ally in the government, was opposing China’s expensive loan. However, now he is silent on this matter. Earlier, Prachanda government avoided taking loan from BRI, but now the present government is insisting on taking it forward.
According to reports, an agreement was signed between Nepal and China on BRI project in 2017. But even after 7 years, no project has been started in Nepal yet. Actually, the previous government wanted China to give money to Nepal in the form of financial assistance instead of loan. But China was denying this.
According to a Finance Ministry official, China fears that if it gives this exemption to Nepal, then other countries will also start demanding loan waiver from it.
PM’s tradition of visiting India started 64 years ago
Nepali Prime Minister Koirala with Jawaharlal Nehru.
According to BBC, for the first time, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had sent an invitation to Nepal’s Prime Minister Bisheshwar Prasad Koirala to participate in the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 1960. At that time India had given assistance of Rs 18 crore to Nepal. In April this year, Koirala also visited China and met Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
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