China hands over Pokhara airport to Nepal during Wang Yi's visit; both sides ink nine MoUs

China on Saturday signed a nine-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nepal to ensure bilateral financial and technical assistance for a line of projects. The agreement between the two sides also included a team of Chinese healthcare workers to provide services in Nepal. The Sino-Nepalese deal was sealed during the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Kathmandu on March 25 during a meeting with his Nepalese counterpart Dr. Narayan Khadka.

The leaders also discussed a gamut of bilateral issues covering vaccine transfer, maintenance and up-gradation of Araniko Highway, a handover of which has been agreed upon. "At the cordial invitation of Dr. Narayan Khadka, Foreign Minister of Nepal, the State Councilor and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China-Wang Yi is on an official visit to Nepal from March 25, 2022. He had bilateral talks with his Nepali counterpart. During the meeting, the whole gamut of bilateral relations was discussed and a few agreements and MoUs were also signed,” Sewa Lamsal, the Spokesperson at Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told ANI. Following the crucial delegation-level meeting, Yi on March 26 met with Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at his official residence at Baluwatar.

China delivers Pokhara int'l airport to Nepal

On March 26, Chinese FM Yi handed over Beijing-built Pokhara Regional International Airport to Nepal during his meeting with PM Deuba. Yi formally transferred the airport authority to Nepal during a courtesy call held at Baluwatar on Saturday evening. Taking to Twitter, the Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the "virtual completion" of the ceremony of handing it over to PM Deuba. "State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PRC (People’s of Republic China) Wang Yi paid a courtesy call on the Rt. Hon. PM @SherBDeuba [Nepalese PM Sher Bahadur Deuba] today. Rt. Hon. [Right Honourable] PM witnessed the virtual completion ceremony of the Pokhara Regional International Airport," the tweet read.

Yi on Sunday is expected to visit Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari following a meeting with two former Prime Ministers KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

(Image: AP)