Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda to meet President Xi during 8-day visit to China from September 23

Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" will be on an 8-day visit to China from September 23 for talks with the Chinese leadership, including President Xi Jinping, on ways to further bolster bilateral ties between the two neighbours.

Prachanda will also attend the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, Nepal's Foreign Ministry said.

Prachanda, who along with the country's Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud is currently in the US to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, will directly fly to China on September 23rd for the official visit.

"Prime Minister Prachanda is paying an official visit to China from September 23 to 30 at the invitation of Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China,” said the statement issued by the Nepal Foreign Ministry.

Prachanda's delegation to China will also include several Nepal government cabinet ministers, including Foreign Minister Saud, Minister for Water Supply Mahindra Raya Yadav, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala among others and the National Security Advisor Shanker Das Bairagi.

"During his visit to China, Prime Minister Prachanda is scheduled to meet with Xi Jinping in Hangzhou. He will hold a bilateral meeting with his counterpart Premier Li Qiang, and also meet with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in Beijing," said the statement.

The Prime Minister will also address the China-Nepal Investment Summit jointly organised by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) and the Nepali Embassy in Beijing.

Prime Minister Prachanda will attend the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on September 23.

He is also scheduled to visit Chongqing Municipality to observe the agricultural and industrial advancement in China's fourth-largest city.

He will also visit Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China that borders Nepal.

“Nepal and China enjoy an excellent state of bilateral relations as good friends, close neighbours and trusted partners. The pedestal of this strong relationship has been nurtured by many commonalities in culture, history, and geography. This visit will bolster our age-old bilateral relations and expand the areas of cooperation in various fields of mutual interest,” said the statement.

The Prime Minister will return to Kathmandu on September 30.