China gives nod for Nepali consulate general office

HONG KONG, Aug 27: China has given its nod to Nepal for setting up a consulate general in Guangzhou, China´s third largest city, which is located in the south of the country. But a final decision will be taken after China receives an official response from the Nepalese side on the need for and importance of setting up the office, officials said Monday.



China agreed to the proposal of the Nepalese government during a meeting of the foreign ministry-level consultative mechanism held in China. According to Foreign Secretary Arjun Bahadur Thapa, who is currently in Beijing, the Nepalese government will write formally to China after his team returns to Nepal. [break]



“China agreed to our proposal to establish a consulate general in Guangzhou, but a policy-level decision is yet to be taken,” said Nepalese ambassador to China, Mahesh Maskey. As the Nepalese government delayed in replying over some issues, it may take some more weeks for a formal decision, he added.

According to the Nepalese embassy, the visiting Nepalese team is scheduled to visit Guangzhou on Wednesday and hold a meeting with Deputy Mayor of Shenzhen Zhang Wen and Deputy Mayor of Guangzhou Cao Jianliao.



Nepal had proposed to the Chinese government to set up a consulate general in Guangzhou some six months ago. In response, China had asked the Nepalese side last month to clarify the objective, budget size, estimated staff number and proposed location of the office.



During the meeting, the two sides also discussed the issue of China setting up a consulate general in Pokhara on a reciprocal basis, according to Ambassador Maskey. He also indicated that the ongoing process will not be affected by China´s proposal on a consulate general in Pokhara, as the Chinese side didn´t raised the issue emphatically. “This shows that they are not taking the issue on a reciprocal basis,” he said.



So far, Nepal has three diplomatic missions in China, including the embassy in Beijing and the consulate generals in Lhasa and Hong Kong. At the meeting, the two sides also discussed about the promotion of Nepal´s trade with China, a bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement (BIPPA), tourism, and development projects in Nepal. The Chinese team was led by Vice-Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin.

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China to cooperate with Nepal in all fields: Minister Wang

Hong Kong, Aug 27

Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People´s Republic of China Wang Yi on Tuesday said that China was ready to cooperate with Nepal in all fields. In a meeting with the Nepalese delegation, the minister also talked about a possible visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Nepal in the near future.

Quoting the minister, Ambassador Maskey said China was ready to enhance cooperation with Nepal in the economic and cultural fields. The Chinese side inquired how to create a conducive environment for the president´s visit to Nepal. Earlier, his Nepalese counterpart Ram Baran Yadav had also invited President Xi to visit Nepal.

At the meeting held at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, the two sides also discussed preparations for CA polls and the ongoing political scenario. During the meeting Wang also showed interest in visiting Nepal soon.

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