KATHMANDU: Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Saturday departed for an official visit to China, where he will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit, scheduled from August 30 to September 3, comes at the invitation of President Xi.
During his stay, Oli will attend the SCO Summit as well as the commemoration of the “80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.” He is set to meet President Xi in Tianjin and address the SCO Plus Summit on Sunday. On the sidelines of the summit, Oli will also hold meetings with other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Nepal’s political community has called on Oli to raise concerns regarding the recent India-China agreement to resume trade through the Lipulekh pass. Nepal claims Lipulekh as its territory, a position India has firmly rejected, stating it is “neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence.”
Earlier on Saturday, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah extended his best wishes to Oli for the China visit and urged him to address the Lipulekh issue with Chinese authorities. While speaking to the House of Representatives on Friday, Oli did not confirm whether he would raise the matter, but later assured reporters that he would discuss it with Chinese leaders.
Oli is accompanied by his spouse Radhika Shakya. His delegation includes Minister for Science and Education Raghuji Pant, Minister for Tourism and Culture Badri Pandey, and other senior government officials. He is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on September 3 and is expected to visit India approximately two weeks after his trip to China.
