The Nepal Investment Summit 2019 ended on Saturday on a high note, particularly for the private sector, as the closing ceremony witnessed the signing of 15 deals and memorandums of understanding between Nepali and foreign companies.

In an interview with the Post, former Finance Minister Mahat says some of the acts brought to attract foreign investment are questionable, and that the China-Nepal-India railway corridor would not have been on his immediate priority list.

The Post’s Mukul Humagain talked with some of the stakeholders who deal with FDI to know whether the new laws address investors' concerns, whether they will entice them into investing in Nepal and whether they are on a par with regional standards.

‘Investors make investment only when they see good returns. If we look at Nepal's history, foreign investors who've invested here have been getting good returns on their investments. This attraction will remain there if we back this process up with a sound legal and institutional regime.’

As the government gears up for the Nepal Investment Summit, senior officials told the Post that it is planning to invite foreign investors again for the development of West Seti Hydroelectric Project.

As the government intensifies its preparation for another high-profile investment summit, key development partners have expressed concerns over the country’s investment climate, red tape, and lack of policy reform hindering businesses.

The formation of a three-member task force to prepare a modality for the development of West Seti Hydroelectric Project on Tuesday formally closed the chapter of China Three Gorges International with the multi-billion project.

The West Seti Hydroelectric Project has all but collapsed after the Chinese developer turned down the government request to execute the project citing financial infeasibility.

The fate of the West Seti Hydroelectric Project, which has been in limbo since 2012, hangs in the balance as an all-important meeting on the project began in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

On August 4, a delegation of the Morang Chamber of Industries and Morang Merchant Association met Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to discuss the issues that businesspeople in Province 1 are grappling with.

Newly appointed foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali has said that the new government would not want to cozy up to one of Nepal’s closest neighbours against another, emphasizing that maintaining balanced relations with India and China will be the cornerstone of the new government’s foreign policy framework.

In a move unprecedented in the history of Prime Minister’s Office, the KP Sharma Oli-led government has assigned the PMO sweeping powers compared to past arrangements.

US ambassadors from the Saarc region and the US deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs put spotlight on regional connectivity and US role in helping South Asia improve its connectivity during a two-day conference in Kolkata.

Mukul Humagain and Binod Ghimire spoke with Dhakal, who is also the chief whip of the main opposition party, about the different facets of the impeachment motion and its future.

The world’s two largest economies—the United States and China—are increasing their grant assistance to Nepal.