Similarly, China has agreed to provide logistics materials of office supplies worth Rs. 154.1 million for the Constituent Assembly election.

Two separate letters of exchange to this effect were signed on Tuesday in the presence of Chairman of the Interim Election Council of Ministers, Khil Raj Regmi and the visiting State Councilor of the People´s Republic of China, Yang Jiechi.

The Agreement and the Letters of Exchange were signed by Finance Secretary Shantaraj Subedi and and Jiang Zengwei, Vice Minister, Ministry of Commerce , Government of People´s Republic of China, respectively.

Ther Government of Nepal has expressed its sincere appreciation to the Government of China for this assistance and also for its continued support in the socio-economic development of Nepal.

NEW DELHI: Just weeks after a tense border standoff, China’s new premier headed to India on Sunday for his first foreign trip as the neighboring giants look to speed up efforts to settle a decades-old boundary dispute and boost economic ties.

China says Premier Li Keqiang’s choice of India for his first trip abroad since taking office in March shows the importance Beijing attaches to improving relations with New Delhi.

“We think very highly of this gesture because it is our view that high-level political exchanges between our two countries are an important aspect and vehicle for our expanded cooperation,” said India’s external affairs ministry spokesman, Syed Akbaruddin.

Jasjit Singh, a defense analyst and director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in New Delhi, said last month’s border standoff was unlikely to overshadow Li’s three-day visit to India, which kicks off a foreign tour that will also see Li visiting Pakistan, Switzerland and Germany.

Singh said Indian and Chinese leaders were likely to review border talks that have failed to produce a breakthrough in the past 10 years despite 15 rounds of discussions. The two sides also will probably discuss working together in Afghanistan after next year’s U.S. pullout and cooperating with Southeast Asian countries, he said.

But tensions run high between the two nations. China already sees itself as Asia’s great power, while India hopes its increasing economic and military might — though still far below its neighbor’s — will eventually put it in the same league.

While China has worked to shore up relationships with Nepal and Sri Lanka in India’s traditional South Asian sphere of influence, India has been venturing into partnerships with Southeast Asian nations.

Other irritants remain in the bilateral relationship. China is a longtime ally and weapons supplier to Pakistan, India’s bitter rival. Also, the presence in India of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile is a source of tension. China accuses the Dalai Lama of wanting to split Tibet off from the rest of China, but he says he seeks real autonomy for Tibetans, not independence.

Unresolved border issues between the two nations have flared as well.

In last month’s incident, India claimed that Chinese troops crossed the countries’ de facto border April 15 and pitched camp in the Depsang valley in the Ladakh region of eastern Kashmir. New Delhi responded with diplomatic protests, then moved its soldiers just 300 meters (yards) from the Chinese position.

The two sides negotiated a peaceful end to the standoff by withdrawing troops to their original positions in the Ladakh area.

Gautam Bambawale, a senior Indian external affairs ministry official, said India and China were negotiating a Border Defense Cooperation Agreement, but declined to give details. Indian media reports said the agreement proposes a freezing of troop levels of the two countries in the disputed border region as they make efforts to settle the issue.

Bambawale also said Indian and Chinese officials recently held talks in Beijing on the future of Afghanistan. China, India and Russia have trilaterally discussed the matter with the idea of giving full support to Afghanistan’s government as it makes the transition following the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2014.

Shortly after his arrival in the Indian capital of New Delhi late Sunday afternoon, Li is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who will host a dinner for him. Delegation-level talks between the two sides are scheduled for Monday. Li will attend a business summit in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, among other activities.

The border spat last month saw the Indian opposition and the media put pressure on the government to take on China and call off Li’s visit. The government, however, chose to go ahead with the trip, highlighting its policy of trying to widen areas of cooperation with China while attempting to resolve key differences.

China has become India’s biggest trading partner, with two-way trade jumping from $5 billion in 2002 to nearly $75 billion in 2011, although that figure declined to $61.5 billion last year because of the global economic downturn. Trade remains heavily skewed in China’s favor, another source of concern for India.

“After Depsang, the loudest voices have warned of evils to come,” K.S. Bajpai, a retired diplomat, wrote in an article in the Indian Express daily. “Whether commonalities on global issues like the WTO (World Trade Organization), or climate change, or even greater economic ties, can bind us in amity, or at least prevent the worst, remain debatable, but the attempt would certainly serve our interests, provided we also gear ourselves up.”

Asian giants with more than 1 billion people each, India and China have had chilly relations since they fought a brief but bloody border war in 1962.

India says China is occupying 38,000 square kilometers (15,000 square miles) of territory in the Aksai Chin plateau in the western Himalayas, while China claims around 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 square miles) in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh. Fifteen rounds of talks have failed to resolve the dispute.

Li will leave India on Wednesday morning and head to close Chinese ally Pakistan before traveling to Switzerland and Germany on visits tightly focused on economic ties.

KATHMANDU: Chinese Vice-Minister for Education Hao Ping is arriving here today on a five-day official visit to Nepal at the invitation of Minister for Education Madhav Poudel.

During his visit, China is expected to announce its support to establish a Polytechnic Institute in Nepal including other projects in education.

Likewise, Nepal government is making requests for increasing the quotas of scholarships for medical students, providing technical skills and for capacity building of Nepali human resources by mobilizing Chinese volunteers.

The Embassy of China, Kathmandu, has expressed willingness to construct libraries, building and physical infrastructure in 10 different Himalayan districts within a month.

Liu was allowed to leave the Beijing apartment where she has been held for two-and-a-half years to attend the trial of her brother on fraud charges that his lawyers said are trumped up to punish the family. Taken by car into the court in Beijing’s suburbs, she sat through the morning-long proceedings, and when she came out accompanied by her lawyer, she shouted from an open window at diplomats and reporters.

“I’m not free. When they tell you I’m free, tell them I’m not,” she said.

The brief exchange is one of the few instances when Liu has broken the security cordon that has surrounded her. A poet and activist in her own right, Liu became an exponent for democracy and freedom of expression after her husband was jailed in late 2008 for authoring and disseminating a program for political reform called Charter ’08.

Liu Xiaobo was later sentenced to 11 years in prison, his fourth prison term in 20 years of political activism. Since he was awarded the Nobel in 2010, authorities have tried to turn Liu Xia into a non-entity to prevent her from becoming a rallying point for Chinese seeking democratic change.

Authorities in China routinely put pressure on family members of political activists and government critics to cow them into falling in line.

Twice in recent months outsiders have managed to slip past police to visit Liu Xia in her apartment, a group of Associated Press reporters in December and then five political activists several weeks later.

Lawyers and family members said the charges against her brother, Liu Hui, appear to be in retaliation for those visits. The charges relate to a real estate deal in which prosecutors said Liu and a partner pocketed 3 million yuan ($500,000) that was claimed by another party to the transaction.

His attorneys said the funds have been returned and the dispute does not rise to the level of crime.

KATHMANDU: UCPN (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is arriving home today by wrapping up his weeklong China trip. The former Prime Minister is returning home via Hong Kong. He would land at Tribhuvan International Airport at 9 on Sunday night.

During his visit to world’s second largest economy, Prachanda held discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese Vice-President, Chinese Premier and other top leaders.

The former Prime Minister is learnt to have urged the Chinese leaders and investors to assist and invest in Nepal’s development projects, especially in hydropower and infrastructure development.

Nepal’s top politician and chief of UCPN (Maoist), Prachanda is the top south Asian politician to have a meeting with the Chinese leadership within a month after leadership change in China.

KATHMANDU: UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda who is currently on a week-long China trip met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of People in Beijing, China today.

Nepal’s top politician and former prime minister Prachanda discussed the issues ranging from Nepal’s CA polls, Nepal-China relations, Chinese economic assistance to Nepal among others. The meeting lasted for nearly 40 minutes.

Nepali Ambassador to China Dr Mahesh Maskey was also present on the occasion.

Earlier, on Wednesday Prachanda had met with Chinese Vice-President Li Yuonchao and discussed issues of bilateral relations and mutual interests between Nepal and China.

Maoist chairman Prachanda also met Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday. Similarly, he held an interaction with the Chinese intellects and economic leaders.

KATHMANDU: UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda who is currently on a week-long China trip is meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of Beijing, China, this afternoon.

Nepal’s top politician and former prime minister Prachanda is expected to talks issuing ranging from upcoming Nepal’s CA polls, Nepal-China relationship, Chinese economic assistance to Nepal and two parties relationship.

Prachanda has gotten 40 minutes to hold discussions with the Chinese President. Only high profile politicians get such a long time for discussions with the Chinese President.

Nepali Ambassador to China Dr Mahesh Maskey would also accompany Prachanda during his meeting with the top Chinese leader.
Earlier, on Wednesday Prachanda had met with Chinese Vice-President Li Yuonchao and discussed issues of bilateral relations and mutual interests between Nepal and China.

Maoist chairman Prachanda also met Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday. Similarly, he held an interaction with the Chinese intellects and economic leaders.

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s top politician and Chairman of UCPN (Maoist) Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, who is in a weeklong China visit, has pledged to take steps for creating an investment-friendly business environment to encourage Chinese investments in Nepal.

He wished the Chinese investment especially in water resources, industrial development and transport networks.

Addressing a gathering of intellectuals and scholars at a program held at the Sichuan University in Chengdu of Sichuan province of China on Monday, Chairman Dahal, currently on a visit of the People’s Republic of China, said foreign investors are to get full protection according to the Home Ministry’s comprehensive national security plan to strengthen order and security in the country.

He also thanked China for the valuable economic and technical support it has been providing over the years as Nepal’s development partner, particularly for the recent duty free facility for 7787 export items.

Describing bilateral relations with China as ‘excellent’, the UCPN (Maoist) Chairman said Nepal has always been a staunch supporter of one China policy, and has thereby never allowed its territory to be used against the interest of China.

“Sovereign equality, mutual respect, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, friendship and mutual cooperation are the cornerstones of our bilateral relations with all countries”, he said.

Speaking about the current situation in Nepal, Chairman Prachanda said Nepal is now trying to draft a new constitution after electing a new Constituent Assembly and hope that the proposed CA elections would institutionalize and stabilize peace, democracy and justice in the country.

“The dissolution of the previous CA was caused by the combined effects of the reluctance of the traditional parliamentary parties to grant rights to marginalized people through federalism and the limitation on the tenure fixed by the Supreme Court”, he said.

“We believe giving a greater say to the marginalized groups in the national processes can lead to a situation where the deep-seated differences vanish to promote fraternity, reconciliation and tolerance among all sections of the population to maintain national unity and harmony”, he added.

During his speech, the former Prime Minister said he believed that Nepal could play a very important role in enhancing friendship and mutual cooperation between India and China, and their mutual cooperation was the best safeguard of Nepal’s national interest.

“China and India can provide relief to our ailing economy by allowing the entry of our products at zero or concessional tariff rates and encouraging their citizens to visit us for correcting the adverse balance of payment”, Dahal noted.

The concept of more prosperous countries extending cooperation to less developed countries has relevance to regional security, stability and development in Asia, he added.

Likewise, Chairman Prachanda also called for more collaborative efforts to protect the environment and counteract the ill effects of global warming so that the perennial sources of rivers originating from snow clad mountains including the Mount Everest don’t become a thing of the past.

Nepal’s senior communist leader Puspa Kamal Dahal aka “Prachanda’ is flying to Beijing on Sunday on official invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping with a five member delegation.

Speaking to a select few journalist on the eve of his visit on Saturday, Prachanda said that his visit will aim to bring China and India together on developing Nepal. ” The trend of instigating one neighbor towards another should be stopped. Nepal can benefit from its both neighbors, only if we work closely with each other,” Prachanda said echoing the statement of his deputy Baburam Bhattarai.

Bhattarai had proposed that Nepal act as a bridge between both nations when the Chinese Prime Minister had visited Nepal last January.

Elaborating on his visit, Prachanda laid stress on the need to garner support from neighboring nations to hold Constituent Assembly elections and said that his visit will focus on garnering economic support from China.

“Discussions will be held on political issues, but politics are Nepal’s internal affairs. So, my visit will basically center on economic cooperation,” Prachanda said elaborating that extension of Chinese railway till Kathmandu, extension of ports between China and Nepal, transformation of Kathmandu into a metro city and development of herbs will highlight the discussion.

On the occasion, Prachanda clarified that he is visiting China as the Coordinator of the High Level Political Mechanism that presently governs the Interim Election Council and added that he represents the interests of all political parties and the government.

He said that the agenda of his meetings have been endorsed by major political party leaders and the interim cabinet.

In China Prachanda is scheduled to address a conference of Nepal and Chinese intellectuals in Chengdu on the first day and than head to Beijing where he will hold consultations with Chinese President, Prime Minister among other influential Chinese leaders.

After that Prachanda will visit Chinese industrial cities and than head to Hong Kong from where he will return back home.

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s politicians have always tried to balance their ties with both of its giant southern and northern neighbors but so far no one has succeeded, at least with tangible results. The erstwhile Maoist Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had also put a lot of efforts to visit China as officiating Prime Minister, but appointment with the Chinese President was available for him only in June. But, his party’s supremo, Puspa Kamal Dahal seems to be luckier than him. He is rumored to get the opportunity to hold dialogue with Xi Jinping.

A vernacular Nepali weekly news portal while confirming the report about Dahal’s, who is more famous for his war time name “Prachanda”, visit to China on April 14 claimed that the visit has been sponsored by the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu.

The visit is seen with importance due to two factors that are attached with Prachanda’s own and his party’s political ambition and China’s renewed interest in its neighborhood – especially Nepal which still remains a playground for the western powers for ‘upsetting’ Tibetan issue.

The recent formation of the Chief Justice led Interim Electoral Cabinet (IEC) in Nepal marked a new phase of transition. With various issues related with the constitution drafting still unsettled, instability across the nation, is predicted more than it was during the early CA elections. Scores of ethnic and regionalist groups’ demands for a ethnic/regional federal states have not been addressed or managed. An unstable neighborhood is never in the interest of a nation, that is trying hard to subside its own secessionist groups.

If the formation of federal states is carried out on the basis of ethnicity or ‘unitary ethnic identity’ as demanded by some recently formed ethnic-based and regional-based politics forces in Nepal, it is sure to be creating more hurdles for the neighbors- who are finding it hard to have their concerns addressed even with a centralized government in the present stage.

Prachanda comes into picture at this very moment. As the person who brought Nepal to this present stage- through bloodshed and later through peaceful politics- he is presently one of the mostly looked after political strategist that the nation has. With China adopting a more close-neighborhood policy, as announced by Jinping himself, Prachanda’s tour seems significant, though the dialogue between the duo still remains unconfirmed.

Apart from the China factor, the visit is certain to add some muscles to his party’s standing among the major political parties. In the recent time, relationship of Nepal’s older parties like the Nepali Congress and CPN UML’s communication with Indian centers has remained unhealthy. This was ascertained when the Maoist led Bhattarai government continued ruling even though NC President Koirala and UML’s Oli had communicated their willingness to take the reins. With Bhattarai cherishing support from Delhi, Prachanda’s visit might win the UCPN Maoist support from Beijing.

These confluence of support to Prachanda’s party will be a substantial threat to the claims of NC and UML, who are presently focused on strengthening their electoral standing by campaigning across the nation. If Prachanda meets Jingping, than he will one of the leader from South Asian nations to hold talks in the great hall. Adding to it, if the dialogue remain substantial, it will surely boost his party’s electoral campaign that aims to win a majority in the upcoming CA.

Lack of two third majority of any of the political parties and polarization leading to confrontation between the major forces had obliterated the earlier endeavor to draft the constitution. With preparations to forge alliance with the Madhesh-centric parties, Prachanda has hopes to remain a dominant force in the next CA too. This visit might just provide him the stamina to sustain his aspirations.

Family Politics!

Besides Prachanda and his party’s claims that he will be holding dialogue with China’s President, his family politics is also surprisingly attached with this trip and shocking too, to some extent. The Maoist supremo will be heading to China with his wife and his recently India-returned son Prakash Dahal. Though Prakash was absconding from the nation and from Prachanda’s sight after he eloped with party co-cadre, he has recently returned home. And Prachanda has nullified all disciplinary actions taken by the party against him and has paved way for his son to accompany him to the Great Hall. The news report claimed that Prachanda has denied not to take any of the senior leaders of the party with him citing secrecy reasons.