KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 23Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today met President of China Xi Jinping in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province on the first day of his week-long visit to the northern neighbour. PM Dahal paying official visit to China from Sept 23 to 30 PM Dahal consults with political leadership over his upcoming visit to China According to a press release issued by the PM's private secretariat, the PM held open and frank discussion on issues of mutual interest.

Both leaders agreed that all the regional powers needed to collaborate to maintain regional stability and peace and to promote prosperity.

Both leaders also agreed to intensify mutual collaboration by taking into account their concerns and sensitivities, according to the release.The Chinese president told the Nepali side that China was ready to help Nepal's economic and social development with open heart. President Xi said that China and Nepal had shaped their ties on the basis of the five principles of coexistence and that bilateral ties would be strengthened further in the coming days.PM Dahal said that China and Nepal shared historical relations for a long time and in the current context the new ideas advanced by Xi would be important for peace and prosperity in this region.

He did not elaborate.Xi has recently focused on belt and road initiative.Stating that Nepal pursued an independent and nonaligned policy, Dahal said that Nepal would not be part of any military alliance on any pretext.Dahal said that Nepal had agreed to China's BRI policy as it deemed that the policy could aid Nepal's development efforts.Xi remembered that after becoming the President of China he had received Dahal as the first South Asian leader.The Chinese President said that such interaction between the two countries would further cement mutual relations and confidence.PM Dahal and ChinesePresident Xi held both delegation level and one-on-one meetings.

Their discussion lasted for one hour.PM Dahal is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The PM will leave for Beijing tomorrow and hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Premier Li Qiang on Monday.In Beijing, PM Dahal is also scheduled to meet Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji.The PM will also address an event at the Nepali Embassy in Beijing jointly organised by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

He will return to Nepal on September 30.The PM flew to China from New York last night after addressing the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

PM Dahal is accompanied by his personal secretary and daughter Ganga Dahal, Foreign Minister NP Saud, Minister of Water Supply Mahindra Raya Yadav, Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala, National Security Adviser Shankar Das Bairagi, Vice-chair of National Planning Commission Min Bahadur Shrestha, and other government officials and businesspersons and industrialists.A version of this article appears in the print on September 24, 2023, of The Himalayan Times .

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