Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Nepalese Prime Minister Prachanda in Hangzhou.
Beijing/Kathmandu:
China and Nepal on Monday signed 12 agreements, including seven MoUs, to enhance bilateral cooperation in sectors such as trade, road connectivity and information technology, after Prime Minister Li Qiang and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ held extensive talks in Beijing.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations in detail and expressed satisfaction over the close and cordial ties existing between the two countries, a press release from the Nepalese Embassy in Beijing said.
The two sides exchanged views on ways to further strengthen and consolidate mutual understanding and cooperation and give new impetus to the economy, trade and people-to-people contacts, it said two days after Chinese President Xi Jinping had conversations. with Prachanda in Hangzhou on the sidelines of the Asian Games being held in the eastern Chinese city.
Prachanda, who politically distanced himself from the pro-Chinese Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) led by KP Oli after becoming prime minister in December last year, made his first visit to China after visiting India and the US .
Following the official bilateral talks, 12 agreements were signed between the two countries, the Nepalese embassy said.
The agreements include an MoU for cooperation between Nepal’s National Planning Commission and China’s National Development and Reform Commission; an MoU on improving cooperation in the digital economy; an MoU regarding cooperation in green and low-carbon development; and an MoU on cooperation in agriculture, livestock and fisheries, the release said.
The two sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of a joint technical working group for the review and amendment of the Nepal-China Trade and Payments Agreement.
They also signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements for the export of plant medicinal materials for Chinese medicine from Nepal to China.
China and Nepal also signed MoUs on Hilsa-Simkot Road Project and Nepal-China Power Grid Interconnection Project (Chilime-Kerung).
The other agreements include cooperation in science, technology and innovation; and in the field of Human Resources Development, according to the press release.
Prachanda also met with National People’s Congress Chairman Zhao Leji, during which they focused on further broadening the historical ties between Nepal and China and promoting the exchange of high-level visits, the report said.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Prachanda met Chinese President Xi.
“We had a fruitful meeting with Xi Jinping, President of PR China. We exchanged views on a series of issues of bilateral relations and cooperation in our mutual interests. We agreed to cooperate closely and promote Nepal-China relations to to strengthen the everlasting friendship,” Prachanda said in a post on Platform X after the meeting.
Prachanda flew directly from New York to China, where he addressed the 78th United Nations General Assembly.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
