At a time when calls have been repeatedly made to cut down the number of diplomatic missions abroad, Nepal opened a new Consulate General Office in Chengdu of China.

With this, Nepal now has the thickest diplomatic presence in China.

Apart from its embassy in Beijing, Nepal already has offices of the consulate general in Lhasa and Guangzhou. Nepal also has its consulate office in Hong Kong (special administrative region of China).

According to the Nepali Embassy in Beijing, Nepal’s Ambassador Mahendra Bahadur Pandey on Monday inaugurated the new consulate office Chengdu by hoisting the national flag.

The inauguration of the consulate office in Chengdu, however, is in line with an old decision taken about five years ago.

The Nepal government in 2016 February had decided to set up a Consulate General Office in Chengdu.

The plaque at the office was jointly unveiled by Li Yunze, vice-governor of the Sichuan Provincial Government and Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee; Ambassador Pandey; Wang Fengchao, mayor of Chengdu Municipal; and Cui Aimin, director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, according to statement issued by the Nepali embassy in Beijing.

Ambassador Pandey, according to the statement, said that mutual trust, understanding and good neighbourliness have remained the hallmarks of Nepal-China bilateral relations since ancient times.

“The two countries have lent each other valuable mutual support in the common pursuit of peace, prosperity and development,” said Pandey.

The ambassador expressed the hope that the establishment of the consulate office in Chengdu would help promote all-round exchanges and bilateral cooperation, as well as contribute in further enhancing the friendly relations subsisting between Nepal and China, said the statement.

According to the embassy, Li Yunze, vice-governor of the Sichuan Provincial Government, said that the establishment of the consulate office would facilitate the promotion of trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Cui Aimin, director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, expressed hope that the establishment of the consulate office would help in further promoting Nepal-China relations based on true friendliness, good neighbourliness, mutual respect and mutual cooperation, said the embassy.

Dinesh Kumar Ghimire is the consul general in Chengdu.

Over the past years, Nepal has made several attempts to increase its bilateral trade with its northern neighbour, especially after the 2105 Indian border blockade.

Nepal also signed a slew of agreements, including trade and transportation agreement, so as to get to use seven Chinese land and seaports for third-country trade.

Trade with China, however, has failed to take off at the expected pace.

Imports from the northern neighbour have drastically slowed, with many Nepali traders expressing concern if they can sustain their businesses if the situation does not improve.

Tatopani, one of the most used trade points between Nepal and China, has largely remained non-functional ever since the 2015 earthquake.

The Chinese then moved their focus to another trade point, Rasuwagadhi-Kyerung.