Nepal Foreign Affairs (June 14, Kathmandu) :
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang is unlikely to visit Nepal during the international donors’ conference scheduled for June 25, official sources told NFA.
Prime Minister Sushil Koirala recently dispatched invitation letter to his Chinese counterpart requesting to attend the conference through the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing.
During a meeting with Nepali Ambassador in Beijing, Dr Mahesh Kumar Maskey, the Chinese Foreign Ministry officials had conveyed Prime Minister Li was not able to visit Nepal due to his prescheduled other engagements at the time of conference.
“China will have a high-ranking representation during the conference since we have been giving top most priority to Nepal’s rebuilding and reconstruction. We stand ready to support Nepal at such difficult time,” an official at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu told NFA on condition of anonymity.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Bahadur Pandey cancelled his planned trip to the northern neighbor to invite Prime Minister Li following Chinese Foreign Ministry’s communication that the prime minister would not attend the conference due to his hectic schedule.
During a meeting with visiting Commerce Minister Sunil Bahadur Thapa in Kunming of Yunan Province of China, Chinese Vice President Li Yuan Chao reiterated China’s support in Nepal’s rebuilding.
“We are ready to provide all support as per Nepal’s need,” Thapa quoted the Chinese vice president. Speaking on the opening ceremony of the China South Asia Expo in Kunming the Chinese Vice President highlighted that China wants to have deeper integration with the Asia region through the One Belt one Road initiative. While mentioning about Nepal’s tragedy, Chinese Vice President Li said that China would prove all support to Nepal’s rebuilding in the days to come.
China has been providing incessant support to Nepal following the 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25 and subsequent aftershocks. Dozens of Chinese rescue, military teams and medical teams visited Nepal to support in the aftermath of the earthquake. China has provided over 12 million US Dollar so far as part of its humanitarian aid to Nepal.
Indian Prime Minister still non-committal on his trip to Nepal
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also indicated that he would not attend the Nepal’s donors’ conference citing busy schedule at home.
During a meeting with Finance Minister Dr Ramsharan Mahat, the Indian Premier said that he would do his best to visit Nepal if the time permits him. “I will try my best to visit Nepal if the time permits. Otherwise, I will send a high-ranking collegue to Nepal, “Mahat who returned from New Delhi on Saturday quoted the Indian Prime Minister.