Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on Saturday shortly after arriving in China to attend the 25th Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the SCO Plus meeting.

According to the Prime Minister’s private secretariat, the two leaders held talks at the Tianjin Guest House on Saturday afternoon in a cordial atmosphere.

During the meeting, Oli expressed Nepal’s objection to the recent India-China agreement to reopen trade through Nepali territory Lipulekh of Darchula district.

“During the meeting with President Xi, the prime minister clearly conveyed Nepal’s objection to the India-China agreement to develop Nepali territory Lipulekh as a trade route,” the prime minister’s secretariat in a press note quoted Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, who was present at the bilateral meeting. Citing the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, which recognises the areas east of the Mahakali River as part of Nepal’s sovereign territory, it said.

“We believe China will support Nepal in this matter,” the prime minister said at the meeting.

Discussions centred on reviewing the state of bilateral relations and expanding cooperation across various sectors. Both sides agreed to advance ties through their respective mechanisms.

Oli, who landed at Tianjin Binhai International Airport earlier in the afternoon, described the meeting as “fruitful.”

“Glad to meet President Xi for the second consecutive year and hold fruitful bilateral talks,” he wrote on Twitter. “We reviewed progress on various issues and agreed upon to enhance bilateral cooperation. I thank President Xi for inviting me to the SCO Plus Summit.”

This is Oli’s second visit to China in less than a year. His current trip comes at the invitation of President Xi to participate in the SCO Summit, which begins later this week.