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In break from ‘tradition’, Nepal PM Oli picks China for 1st bilateral visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is believed to have told Oli in New York when they met in September that he would soon be visiting Nepal.

Oli’s China visit is seen as a visible break from the ‘tradition’ of the new Nepali PM undertaking his first trip to India.

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli is likely to undertake an official visit to China next month, his first bilateral, four months after he took over as head of the new government replacing the Left coalition government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda).

Official sources said the Prime Minister will visit Beijing most likely between December 2 and December 5. Oli’s China visit is seen as a visible break from the ‘tradition’ of the new Nepali PM undertaking his first trip to India.

India normally extends an invitation to Nepal’s new prime minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is believed to have told Oli in New York when they met in September that he would soon be visiting Nepal.

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Oli’s visit to China is scheduled at a time when the two biggest coalition partners in the government — Nepali Congress and Oli-led Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist— are at odds over the conditions of executing projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). While the Nepali Congress is firm that BRI projects should be accepted only under grants, the CPN-UML supports projects with loans from China’s Exim bank.

Foreign Ministry sources said the dates and agenda of the visit are being worked out.

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