Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on March 27.

After completing his engagements at the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan Province of China on March 25, Dahal will embark on an official visit to the Chinese capital, where he will meet senior Chinese leaders.

Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat, senior government officials and PM’s advisers will accompany Dahal in the meeting with Xi that is expected to agree on new deals and reaffirm those reached with the northern neighbour during the visit of then-PM KP Sharma Oli last year. This will be the third meeting between Dahal

and Xi, who first met in April 2013 in Beijing, a month after

Xi’s election to the Chinese presidency. Government officials said the duo will discuss the status of China-funded projects in Nepal and Xi’s probable visit to Nepal by the end of 2017.

PM Dahal, however, will not be meeting with his Chinese counterpart as Premier Li Keqiang is travelling to Australia and New Zealand on March 22-29. As a result, officials said, Dahal is unlikely to sign any pacts in Beijing.

“We are fully prepared to sign some MoUs but the Chinese side is a bit reluctant to sign agreements during the visit citing protocol-related matters,” said a minister on condition of anonymity.

The meeting between Dahal and Xi, however, will direct officials from both sides to finalise past accords and agreements at the earliest, said the minister.

On March 27, Dahal will interact with Chinese investors in Beijing. On the same day, he will attend a ceremony at the Nepali Embassy in Beijing. On March 28, he will leave for Lhasa, where he will stay for one day before flying back to Kathmandu.