China, Nepal FMs hold 'comprehensive' talks, discuss bilateral ties
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Nepalese counterpart Shisir Khanal held “comprehensive talks” covering the entire gamut of bilateral ties, including border management, connectivity
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Nepalese counterpart Shisir Khanal held “comprehensive talks” covering the entire gamut of bilateral ties, including border management, connectivity and trade. Khanal arrived in Beijing on a four-day visit on June 14 after his weeklong trip to India. After he met with Mr. Wang Yi on Monday (June 15, 2026), Mr. Khanal said in a post on X, “We held a comprehensive discussion on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including in the areas of connectivity, border management, trade, technology transfer and multilateral cooperation.” “We also exchanged views on expanding people-to-people ties and reaffirmed shared commitment to further strengthening Nepal-China relations for the mutual benefit of our two countries,” he said. At the meeting, Mr. Wang Yi said China has always placed its relations with Nepal in an important position in its neighbourhood diplomacy and pursues a friendly policy toward all Nepalese people. China will, as always, support Nepal in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in exploring a development path suited to its own national conditions, Mr. Wang Yi said, according to a press release by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday (June 15, 2026).
Besides Mr. Wang Yi, Mr. Khanal also met Mr. Wang Huning, the influential Chairman of the Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the ruling Communist Party of China. Discussions on various aspects of bilateral ties, including investment, tourism, political exchanges and people-to-people ties, took place in Mr. Khanal’s separate meetings with Mr. Wang Huning and Liu Haixing. In a post on X, Mr. Khanal said he appreciates Mr. Wang Huning’s “strong commitment to deepening long-standing friendship between the two countries”. The visiting Foreign Minister was also given a briefing at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, which specialises in countering the Dalai Lama’s spiritual influence in the Himalayan region. Khanal’s visit to Beijing is regarded as significant as both countries were expected to reset the relations after the massive victory of the new Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) this year, ending the prolonged rule of leaders of Nepal’s Communist parties, K.P. Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, who sought to move Kathmandu closer to Beijing, away from India.
The RSP’s victory in the general elections marked an end to the dominance of the communist parties, which gained political prominence after the abolition of the monarchy in Nepal in 2008. Both Prachanda and Oli, who became prime ministers thrice each since 2008, advocated closer political and economic ties with China and played a central role in helping Beijing advance its influence in Nepal with measures like the Belt and Road Initiative. Speaking at the meeting with Mr. Khanal, Mr. Wang Yi said China is willing to work with Nepal to jointly advance the high-quality ‘Belt and Road cooperation’, focus on collaboration in power grids, highways, border ports and aviation, and help Nepal transform from a “land-locked country into a land-linked country”. He called on both sides to fully utilise various cooperation platforms and mechanisms, deepen practical cooperation, and promote cultural exchanges. China encourages its enterprises to invest and do business in Nepal, and hopes that the Nepalese side will provide a more equitable and transparent business environment, he added.
The BriefWire