Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal appreciated the Government of China for enlisting Nepal as one of the outbound destination countries for group tourism.

Addressing the 15th meeting of the Bilateral Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism between the Foreign Ministries of Nepal and the People’s Republic of China was held in Beijing today, foreign secretary Paudyal thanked China for the decision.

Bharat Raj Paudyal, Foreign Secretary and Sun Weidong, Vice Minister of the Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, led their respective delegations to the meeting.

The meeting was held in an atmosphere of cordiality and friendship. The Vice Minister of China admired Nepal’s consistent adherence to one China policy and respect for the five principles of peaceful coexistence. Foreign Secretary Paudyal appreciated the Chinese policy of non-interference and respect for Nepal’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence.

Both sides took stock of the existing Nepal-China bilateral relations and cooperation and deliberated on the ways to further expanding and consolidating cooperation in various areas, including the exchange of bilateral visits; economic cooperation; promotion of trade, investment and tourism; building connectivity; and strengthening cooperation in the fields of agriculture, education, culture and people-to-people relations, among others.

The two sides discussed on promoting people to people contacts and cultural cooperation, increasing the number of scholarships to Nepali students and professionals, capacity development of technical experts, among others.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of different infrastructure development projects under China’s grant assistance as well as Chinese-contracted projects and agreed to expedite the implementation of the projects so as to complete them in time.

With a view to reduce trade deficit, Foreign Secretary Mr. Paudyal proposed for the preferential treatment to Nepali primary products such as tea, coffee, herbal products, cooked buffalo meat, and other agricultural products. The Chinese side agreed to encourage Chinese investors to make investment in mutually beneficial areas.

On the occasion, the two sides reviewed the cooperation between the two countries at the multilateral forums, including in the United Nations, and exchange of mutual support to each other’s candidatures. They also discussed the importance of implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the usefulness of the GDI to promote SDG agenda.

In the meeting, Foreign Secretary Paudyal was accompanied by Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, Ambassador of Nepal to the People’s Republic of China, Lok Bahadur Thapa, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal and other officials of the Ministry and Embassy of Nepal in Beijing. Likewise, the Chinese delegation comprised senior officials of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.

Vice Foreign Minister of China Sun Weidong hosted a luncheon in honour of the Nepali delegation reports a press release issued by Embassy of Nepal Beijing