Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, who is currently in Beijing on an official visit, will meet Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and his counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday. VP Wang is considered to be a close confidante of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Gyawali, who arrived in the Chinese capital on Tuesday, attended a function organised by the Nepali Embassy, where he released a book of Chinese translations of selected speeches of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Ahead of his meeting with State Councillor and FM Wang, Gyawali will call on VP Wang. The two sides are expected to discuss exchange of high-level visits this year, review China-funded projects in Nepal and explore possible areas of cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The book contains speeches delivered by Oli during his first tenure as PM from October 11, 2015 to July 24, 2016. The Selected Speeches of Prime Minister KP Oli has 60 addresses made over 13 months. The book was published by the Pangoal Institution and the South Asian Institute of Sichuan University.

“I bring with me the greetings and best wishes of Prime Minister Oli, and the government and people of Nepal, to President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, and the government and people of China,” Gyawali said after releasing the book on the embassy premises. “The people of Nepal extend their sincere congratulations to the Chinese people on their remarkable achievements of the past seven decades of nation-building and the four decades of opening up and reforms.”

“Nepal is happy to witness the peaceful development of China and sees greater prospects for global economic development and stability with increased involvement of China in managing global affairs based on the principles of peaceful coexistence, Panchasheel. “We greatly value our relations with China and appreciate the continued support to the people of Nepal by China irrespective of major political changes in Nepal and changes in the outside world,” said Gyawali. In his meetings with Chinese leaders, discussions will take place in all aspects of bilateral relations, and exchange of views on further expanding and deepening of the ties.

Chinese industrialists have expressed interest in investing in Nepal, and the number of Chinese tourists visiting Nepal is also increasing rapidly. “These activities have enhanced Nepal-China co-operative relations, and we should keep up the momentum,” said Gyawali. “There is a great potential to expand Nepal-China relations.”