PM Oli Embarks on China Visit for SCO Summit and V-Day Events

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli left for Tianjin, China, on Saturday morning, August 30, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit. He is leading a 23-member delegation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During his visit, Oli is scheduled to hold talks with President Xi in Tianjin and address the SCO Plus Summit on September 1. He is also expected to meet several other world leaders on the sidelines of the gathering. On September 2, he will travel to Beijing for talks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng before attending commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia on September 3.

Leaders from more than two dozen countries — including Russia, North Korea, Vietnam, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia — are expected at China’s V-Day celebrations in Beijing. According to Xinhua, “China will stage a massive military parade on Sept. 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.”

Nepal has been a dialogue partner of the SCO since 2016. The organisation, founded in 2001, counts China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus as full members. Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status, while Nepal is among the dialogue partners, alongside Turkey, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Maldives, Myanmar, Bahrain, and the UAE.

The Prime Minister is accompanied by First Lady Radhika Shakya; Minister for Education, Science and Technology Raghuji Pant; Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey; lawmakers Purna Bahadur Khadka and Chhabilal Bishwakarma; Economic and Development Advisor Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada; and senior government officials.

Oli is scheduled to return home on September 3.

(With inputs from RSS)