US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor, is scheduled to visit Kathmandu on April 30 on a four-day trip, according to officials from two ministries.

The visit is taking place against the backdrop of a diplomatic flurry in Kathmandu, as both US and China are racing to engage with the new political dispensation.

Gor is currently serving as US ambassador to India and is known as a Trump insider.

As the US does not have a dedicated ambassador to Kathmandu since mid-January after the Trump administration recalled Dean Thomposn, Gor has been effectively overseeing Nepal affairs from New Delhi, said diplomatic sources.

Additionally, Trump appointed Gor as special envoy to South and Central Asia and this makes him a higher-profile official than assistant secretary of state, Samir Paul Kapur.

Only on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Kapur concluded his three-day Nepal visit after meeting with Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, and renewed the US commitment for investment in various sectors.

He also held talks with Rastriya Swatantra Party chair Rabi Lamichhane and visited two UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kathmandu Valley before leaving for Washington. He received assurances from Wagle and Khanal that the new government will revisit old laws and legislation to attract foreign direct investment.

As Kapur was about to wrap up his visit, Beijing also sent its senior official to Kathmandu and renewed its concerns and interest with senior foreign ministry officials.

Deputy Director General at the Department of Asian Affairs at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cao Jing, held talks with Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and Joint Secretary at the North East Asia Division at the Foreign Ministry Bhrigu Dhungana on the same day after Kapur had separate meetings with Khanal and Wagle.

Cao reiterated concerns that Beijing has been raising with Nepal for quite some time.

Cao flew from Beijing to Kathmandu on Monday, coinciding with Kapur’s visit.

In line with first courtesy call by the Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming with Foreign Minister Khanal on April 7, Cao also raised and reminded the new government of similar issues, including reservations over the implementation of the MCC Compact, urged Nepal not to join the US State Partnership Program (SPP), and not to be a part of the Starlink satellite network, owned by the US billionaire Elon Musk.

Against this backdrop, unlike Kapur's visit, the American side has sent a request for a meeting between Prime Minister Shah with Gor on May 1. Since Gor has strong business and investment relations in Washington, the US side has communicated that the visit will be focussed on business and investment, said the officials privy to the visit.

But the prime minister wants to set a benchmark of meeting only ministers or higher-level officials from foreign countries. Kapur, during his visit, did not seek a meeting with Prime Minister Shah, unlike in Bangladesh. Therefore, there is still no confirmation on whether he will see Gor.

Previously, Ambassador Gor was assistant to the President and director of presidential personnel in the White House. Under his leadership, thousands of political appointees were hired in the federal government in record time.

On the basis of Gor’s high-profile meetings with heads of state and government in the region, the American side has pushed for a meeting with Prime Minister Shah, who is reportedly firm on his decision not to meet ambassadors and junior officials from any country. Sticking to his position, Shah met ambassadors jointly on April 8.

In connection with Gor’s visit, Deputy Chief of Nepali Embassy in New Delhi, Surendra Thapa, met US diplomat Jason Meeks in New Delhi on Thursday where they discussed Gor’s upcoming visit to Kathmandu as well as expanding bilateral trade and investment between Nepal and the US.

Meeks had served as deputy chief of mission in the US Embassy in Kathmandu and was recently transferred to New Delhi in the same position.

In line with these back-to-back high-level visits from neighbours and powerful countries, New Delhi is also set to send its foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, to engage with the new government in Kathmandu.

Misri’s visit was first announced by Foreign Minister Khanal during his visit to the ninth Indian Ocean Conference (April 10-12) in Mauritius. But as of now, no formal correspondence has been made by the Indian side regarding the visit, a foreign ministry official said.

To prioritise agendas, projects, and programmes with India, Foreign Minister Khanal is meeting different line ministers and taking stock of the status of Nepal-India relations, projects funded by the government of India and programmes being launched by the southern neighbour.