A 15-member delegation from China, led by Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Xiao Jie paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at the prime minister’s official residence in Baluwatar on Thursday.

During the meeting, the Chinese delegation extended best wishes for the success of the upcoming Sagarmatha Sambaad (Everest Dialogue), which is scheduled to begin in Kathmandu on Friday.

The delegation expressed China’s commitment to further strengthening the long-standing and friendly ties between the two countries, according to the prime minister’s secretariat.

Xiao conveyed the Chinese leadership’s goodwill for Nepal’s development and prosperity, while recalling Prime Minister Oli’s successful official visit to China in December.

Prime Minister Oli said that Nepal and China have enjoyed a cordial, problem-free relationship for decades. He expressed appreciation for China’s rapid progress in development and technology and its growing global influence.

Referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Nepal in 2019, Oli described it as multifaceted and historic. He reaffirmed Nepal’s commitment to the ‘One China’ policy and stressed the need for all the sides concerned to expedite the implementation of bilateral agreements.

Present during the meeting were Chief Adviser to the Prime Minister Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song, Nepal’s Ambassador to China Krishna Prasad Oli, and senior officials from Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Xiao’s delegation arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday night at the invitation of Indira Rana, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. During their four-day stay, the delegation is scheduled to meet with Speaker of the House Devraj Ghimire, National Assembly Chairperson Narayan Prasad Dahal, and Deputy Speaker Rana, who will also host a dinner in their honour.

The delegation will participate in the Sagarmatha Sambaad—organised by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers as a flagship government event—and visit key cultural and historical sites in the Kathmandu Valley, including Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Hanumandhoka, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, and Patan Durbar Square.

The delegation was received at Tribhuvan International Airport by Minister for Forest and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi, CPN (Maoist Centre) senior vice-chair Narayankaji Shrestha—also the coordinator of the Nepal-China Parliamentary Friendship Forum—and Parliament Secretariat General Secretary Padma Prasad Pandey, among others.

The delegation is scheduled to return to China on Saturday.