Hon. Mr. Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, visited the Shahe Campus of China Foreign Affairs University(CFAU) on September 8, 2017, accompanied by the Nepal Ambassador to China, H.E. Mr. Leela Mani Paudyal. Professor Qin Yaqing, president of CFAU, together with Professor Gao Fei, the president assistant , met with the Deputy Prime Minister and his delegation.

President Qin warmly welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Mr. Krishna Bahadur Mahara and his delegation, and gave an introduction to CFAU. Professor Qin pointed out that CFAU had groomed over 30 Nepalese students for diplomats and would continue to accept Nepalese students who wanted to learn Chinese this October.

Minister Mahara expressed his delight to visit CFAU and also extended his gratitude to CFAU for the training of Nepalese diplomats. He introduced some places of interest, invited President Qin to visit Nepal and gave a piece of Thang-ga as a present for CFAU. Hon. Mr. Krishna Bahadur Mahara also delivered a speech on “Nepal-China Partnership for Trans-Himalayan Development” in the Auditorium in Shahe Campus, with President Qin as the host. In his speech, the Deputy Prime Minister introduced the historical origins of two countries, and pointed out that our bilateral relations are based on Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. The Himalayan Mountains had always been serving as a bond rather than a block. He stated that Nepal attached great importance to developing good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation with China and appreciated China's assistance to Nepal's post-disaster reconstruction. He noted that China's "Belt and Road" (B&R) initiative had provided new opportunities for cooperation and development between the two countries. The two countries would enhance cooperation in infrastructure construction, interconnection, trade equality, investment and tourism. China and Nepal signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) this year, which is a milestone in the development of our bilateral relations. As Nepal's largest investor, China is helping Nepal to speed up industrialization. In addition, the two countries cooperate with each other closely in many fields. Nepal, the hometown of Sakyamuni, prides itself in splendid culture, intact natural scenery, and adventurous scenic spots. However, Chinese people know little about it due to the lack of publicity. Nepal appreciated that China made 2017 Nepal Year of Tourism. Nepal will implement a visa-free policy for Chinese tourists in return. Interconnection is of vital importance to the bilateral relations. We should strengthen cooperation in the construction of transnational railways, transmission lines and transit corridors. Nepal hoped to boost development through learning experience from China in building railways, bridges, tunnels and other fields. Educational cooperation between our two countries also draw the people of the two countries closer. Nepal hoped China would sustain its support during Nepal’s transitional period.

After the speech, Nepal Ambassador to China, H.E. Mr. Leela Mani Paudyal answered questions from CFAU students, ranging from China-Nepal cooperation in the Belt and Road(B&R) initiative to exchanges between Nepalese and Chinese youngsters.