CHINA: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping today expressed Nepal’s reservation to the China-India deal to open a trade route through Lipulek pass.

During a meeting with Chinese President Xi at the Tianjin State Guest House upon his arrival to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, the PM explicitly expressed Nepal’s opposition to the China-India deal making Lipulek pass, an inseparable part of sovereign Nepal, a trade route between them, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai shared.

“It is clear that all lands east of the Mahakali River belong to sovereign Nepal as per the Sugauli Treaty of 1816. Nepal is confident that China will support Nepal in this matter,” Foreign Secretary Rai quoted PM Oli as saying during the meeting with Chinese President Xi.

PM Oli said, “As Nepal is clear not to let its land being used against any other country; it equally expresses its objection to the consensus by other countries about its (Nepal’s) land.”

In response, Chinese President Xi stated that he has no dissenting view on Nepal’s stance and expressed that the issue to be resolved through dialogue between Nepal and India, according to Foreign Secretary Rai.

Rai also stated that diverse issues of friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries were discussed at the meeting and a consensus was forged to activate both countries’ mechanisms to deepen our relations and cooperation.

This is the fourth formal visit of Oli to China in the capacity of prime minister and the second visit to China in 2025.

Likewise, the leaders discussed the issues of expediting the implementation of the projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the socioeconomic development of Nepal through the BRI projects, PM Oli’s Economic and Development Advisor Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada said.

Dr Khatiwada stated that China was positive to open more border points.

Furthermore, China was ready to support to quality and commercial agricultural production to promote Nepal’s export to China.

The Chinese side has also made it clear that China was committed to support Nepal to make landlocked Nepal a land-linked.

Present on the occasion were former Deputy Prime Minister and House of Representatives (HoR) Member Purna Bahadur Khadka, Minister for Education Raghuji Pant, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey, Dr Khatiwada, former Minister and HoR Member Chhabilal Bishwakarma, Secretary Rai, Nepal’s Ambassador to China Dr Krishna Prasad Oli, China’s Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song and others.