A four-member delegation led by Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi is arriving in Beijing on Monday for foreign-secretary-level talks for reviewing developments in bilateral relations amid the likelihood of a visit to Kathmandu by Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year.

A number of high-ranking Chinese officials, who have been visiting Nepal regularly, have indicated at a strong possibility of the Nepal visit by President Xi by the end of this year.

Bairagi’s consultations will essentially dwell on the progress made in the implementation of numerous agreements reached between the two neighbours during the China visit of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in March but officials have hinted that Beijing could use the platform to firm up the plan for President Xi’s Nepal visit later this year. The four-member team led by Bairagi will meet Assistant Foreign Minister of China Kong Xuanyou.

Nepal and China have signed agreements in areas of free trade, transit transport, connectivity and financial cooperation, among others.

“Both the sides will be assessing the developments on the agreements and understandings reached during the visit of Prime Minister Oli,” Nirmal Raj Kafle, deputy head of the Nepali mission in Beijing, told the Post. “This also shows seriousness of both the countries in making sure that the agreement materialises as soon as possible.” According to him, several line ministries in Nepal have prepared their teams for focusing on enactment of the agreements.