PM Oli leaving for China Sunday; stakeholders call for prioritising agreement on transit facility and petroleum

Kathmandu / March 19: Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli is paying an official visit to the People’s Republic of China from 20-27 March 2016, at the invitation of Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Li Keqiang.

Prime Minister Oli will be accompanied by his spouse Radhika Shakya, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa, Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Minister for Commerce Deepak Bohara, Minister for Education Giriraj Mani Pokharel, Bishnu Prasad Rimal, the Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister, Members of the Legislature-Parliament, Chief Secretary, Secretaries and senior Government Officials as well as representatives of business community and media, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the visit, Prime Minster Oli will pay a courtesy call on President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping. On 21 March 2016, the Prime Minister will attend the welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People and hold bilateral official talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang and discuss matters of mutual interests and common concerns.

Following the official talks, the two leaders will witness the signing ceremony of bilateral Agreements and Memorandum of Understandings to be concluded between Nepal and China. A luncheon will be hosted by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in honour of Prime Minister Oli and his delegation.

The Prime Minister will also meet Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Yu Zhengsheng. Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to address the scholars, academics, business people and students at Renmin University on the theme of ‘Nepal-China Relations in the context of Belt and Road Initiatives’. He will also witness the signing ceremony of MoU on Granting Nepal the Status of Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). He will address the Chinese and Nepali business community at the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

On 22 March, the Prime Minister will attend a welcome dinner hosted by Nepali Ambassador to China Dr. Mahesh K. Maskey. Ahead of the dinner, he will interact with the media people at the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing.

The Prime Minister will address the Boao Forum for Asia on the theme “Asia’s New Future: New Dynamics, New Vision” at Boao, Hainan province of China on 24 March 2016. In the same afternoon, he will visit Nepal Pavilion at Nanshan Park in Sanya.

PM Oli will be meeting Provincial and Municipal leaders in Xi’an of Shaanxi Province and Chengdu of Sichuan Province and address the business communities in the both places. During his sojourn, he will also inspect earthquake reconstruction zone and a hydroelectricity project in Sichuan province The Prime Minister and his entourage will return home on 27 March 2016 from Chengdu.

Meanwhile, in the run-up to Prime Minister Oli’s China visit, the National Awakening Campaign has suggested prioritising an agreement on transit facility of landlocked Nepal to trade with the rest of the world through sea during the visit.

A statement issued by the campaign spokespersons Dr Binod Neupane today demanded that consultations should be held with China to find all available ways to permanently sort out fuel crisis facing Nepal at present. The campaign is coordinated by former minister Dr Upendra Devkota.

The statement also demanded scraping of the agreement struck between India and China concerning Nepali territory Lipulekh, and urged the Prime Minister to take it up with the Chinese government.

Also, the statement demanded that issues including increment of trade with China to end Nepal’s sole dependency on India and opening all border points with China should also be raised with China.

Similarly, speaking at an interaction in the capital, Minister for Supplies, Ganesh Man Pun, said an important base would be prepared during Prime Minister Oli’s visit to China in regards a bilateral agreement for importing fuel products.

Minister Pun claimed the agreement on importing fuel from China would take place and that it cannot be prevented by anyone or anything. “All the preparatory works have been done, there are no reasons as to why it should not take place,” Pun insisted, adding that the government will take decision by keeping the country and the people at the centre of interest. The preliminary agreement paper has already been signed, he said.

“I am confident the bilateral agreement on importing fuel will be signed,” Minister Pun said. When the journalists questioned the Minister why he was not included in the Prime Minister’s entourage heading to China if there were prospects for such an agreement, Minister Pun said it was not an important subject as to who was included and excluded.

Minister Pun pointed out towards the increase in the supply from India facilitating the availability of petrol in the market, and added that diesel supply would also ease in a day or two.

The Minister said a discussion has taken place between Nepali Ambassador to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, Supplies Ministry’s high officials and Indian officials on increasing the import of fuel products to the country. He confided of his personal effort to facilitate the import of more diesel.

The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has been supplying 90,000 kilolitres of fuel although the government has demanded a supply of 110,000 kilolitres. He said 250,000 kilolitres would be imported when the development works are in full swing.

The government’s attention has been drawn towards the shortage of cooking gas in the market, Minister Pun said. He added that 29,000 metric tons of gas was imported during the time from mid February to mid March and that the government has demanded supply of 33,000 metric tons of gas for the period between mid March and mid April.

The Minister further elaborated on the Ministry’s plan to establish storage depots in all seven provinces. He said the government would meet the demand of developing the storage capacity to last at least 3 months as provisioned by the United Nations.

He said storage depots in Panchkhaal, Battar and Khaireni would be established with the support of the Chinese government and that study on the plan was underway. RSS