ANIL GIRI
Kantipur Online
August 31, 2009

KATHMANDU, Aug 31 - Chinese Ambassador Qiu
Guohong called on Prime Minister Madhav Kumar
Nepal at his office on Sunday, amid stepped-up
efforts of government officials to make the chief
executive’s upcoming China trip a success.

Nepal’s China visit figured in the meeting
besides regular issues like trade, investment,
Chinese concerns on Tibet and the current
political situation, Rajan Bhattarai, foreign
affairs adviser to the prime minister, told the Post.

Notwithstanding an invitation from Chinese prime
minister Wen Jiabao, diplomatic channels are yet
to work out the date for the chief executive’s visit.

Ahead of the China trip, Nepal will be attending
the 64th UN General Assembly in New York. Foreign
Minister Sujata Koirala is all set to visit China
from Sept. 8 till 13. "One of the main purposes
of Koirala’s visit is to fix the date for the
prime ministerial visit," a joint-secretary told the Post.

The Foreign Ministry began consultations with
line ministries on the upcoming visit of the
prime minister and the foreign minister. Senior
officials from nine ministries, including Home,
Agriculture, Education, Finance and Physical
Planning, attended Monday’s meeting at the
Foreign Ministry. The progress and status of
China-funded projects figured in the
deliberations, apart from possible assistance
Nepal could ask for, said a source.

Meanwhile, a high-level 18-member Chinese
delegation is arriving here on Monday. Headed by
senior Chinese Communist Party politburo member
Zhang Gaoli, the delegation is scheduled to meet
President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav and the prime minister on Tuesday.