By Our Reporter
The two-day state visit of the President of the People’s Republic of China to Nepal was a long cherished dream of the Nepali people, especially Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. And it was finally realised on October 12 and 13.
President Xi, whose Nepal visit schedule was not disclosed until the Dashain festival began, probably for security reason, landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport on October 12 from India, when Nepali people were still busy marking the festival of Dasahin.
The visit by the Chinese President is one of the important achievements of Prime Minister Oli. It could also be termed as his personal achievement, because during his first stint in 2016 he was also preparing to welcome Xi in Kathmandu in October 2016. But his plan got sabotaged, probably in an Indian design. Now co-chair of PM’s party-Nepal Communist Party Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba became puppets for the foreign force, and pulled down the Oli-led government in August 2016, just two months before Xi was to land in Kathmandu on his way to India. After the falloff the Oli government Pushpa Kamal Dahal became the new PM in the backing of Deuba and India.
Xi in 2016 paid a visit to Bangladesh instead of Nepal.
It took three years for PM Oli to realise his plan to welcome powerful Xi in Kathmandu. Coincidentally, Xi chose to visit Nepal while returning to China from India, and spent a night in Kathmandu.
Xi’s visit was accorded warm welcome by both the people and the government. The government had prepared well to make the visit of the Chinese president, which had happened in an interval of 23 years, a success.
Earlier, President Xiang Zemin had visited Nepalin1996. Likewise, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabo had paid a five-hour visit to Nepal in January 2012.
Since 2012, every Prime Minister and President visited China, but no Chinese leader visited Nepal during the period. Even King Birendra and Gyanendra paid more than one visit to China since 1996, no high level visit from China had been possible, due mainly political instability in Nepal.
Xi Nepal visit drew media coverage not only in Nepal and China but around the world.
And this year, President Xi, the powerful President after Mao Zedong, visited Nepal and signed important deals. The visit of Xi will be remembered for a long time as one of the achievements of Prime Minister Oli.
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