Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli firmly raised the Lipulekh issue during the bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Prime Minister's Secretariat said.
According to Amrit Bahadur Rai, secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who accompanied Oli during the meeting with Xi, Prime Minister Oli took exception to the India-China agreement to reopen bilateral trade through Nepali territory, Lipulekh.
Oli said that the entire territory to the east of the Mahakali River belongs to sovereign Nepal, as per the Sugauli Treaty (1816), during the meeting with Xi and expressed belief that China would cooperate in this border issue, according to Rai.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and cooperation and vowed to mobilize all state mechanisms to take the existing ties to a new height.
Meanwhile, Oli expressed happiness to meet with Chinese President Xi for the second time in a row. Earlier, Prime Minister Oli had visited China in December in 2024. The bilteral meeting which lasted for 20 minutes was held at Tianjin Guest House.
Accompanying Prime Minister Oli during the meeting with President Xi were former Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament, Nepali Congress Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka, Education Minister Raghuji Pant, Tourism Minister Badri Prasad Pandey, Economic and Development Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, UML leader and Member of Parliament, Chhabilal Bishwakarma, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, Nepali Ambassador to China Dr. Krishna Prasad Oli and Bhrigu Dhungana, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Similarly, the officials who participated during Prime Minister Oli's meeting with Xi were Prime Minister's Chief Personal Secretary Rajesh Bajracharya, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Nepali Embassy in Beijing, Roshan Khanal, Counsellor Sabita Nakarmi and Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Manahari Dangal.
Oli landed at Tianjin Binhai International Airport at 3:15 PM (local time) on Friday afternoon on a Himalaya Airlines flight, leading a Nepali delegation at the cordial invitation of President Xi. He was welcomed by Chinese officials, Nepali Ambassador to China Dr. Krishna Prasad Oli and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song.
Prime Minister Oli, who is on a five-day official visit to China, is scheduled to address the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit on September 1. He will also hold meetings with participating world leaders including Russian Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The Summit, which will be inaugurated by Chinese President Xi Jinping, will be attended by heads of state and government from 20 countries, including 10 full members of the SCO, and heads of 10 international organizations.
After participating in the SCO Summit, Oli will head to Beijing to attend the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
Prime Minister Oli will return home on September 3, wrapping up his five-day China visit.
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