Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe’s visit to Nepal on Sunday, leading a 21-member delegation, may have been short but it was very significant. In his day-long working visit, Wei met with President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is also the Defence Minister, and Chief of Army Staff Purna Chandra Thapa and reaffirmed China’s commitment to implementing various agreements reached in the past. The Nepal Army also stated that there were discussions on resuming Chinese defence assistance to Nepal, which had been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wei is the senior-most official to arrive from northern neighbour since President Xi Jinping who came last October. He is also the second Chinese defence minister to visit Nepal in the last two decades after Chang Wanquan in 2017. His visit also comes as a reminder of the half-day stopover of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in 2012.

Beyond the ceremony and courtesy, the key takeaway from General Wei’s visit has been that Nepal and China share a harmonious relationship. There was no tension surrounding his arrival, no contentious issues sticking out and no controversy. Nepal-China ties are built on mutual interests. Nepal and China have signed agreements and understandings on developing cross-border connectivity including railways, transmission lines, petroleum pipelines and information network, implementing Trade and Transit Agreement and its Protocol, conducting feasibility study for the Kerung-Kathmandu Railway and Kathmandu-Pokhara-Lumbini Railway projects. China has allowed Nepal to use its seven different ports to increase Nepal’s access to third-country markets. It has also pledged to develop trade infrastructure at Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani border points with China and upgrade the quake-damaged Araniko Highway and newly built Rasuwagadhi-Syaphrubesi Road. The Chinese side took an interest in the timely completion of these projects, which shows just how responsible our northern neighbour is towards fulfilling its commitments.

China has also been responsive to Nepal’s sensitivities as shown by its quick clarification on the alleged border encroachment issue that surfaced in October. For Nepal’s part, the Prime Minister told the visiting guest that Nepal had accorded high importance to its relations with China and reiterated Nepal’s commitment to One-China policy. He also assured Wei that Nepal would never allow its soil to be used against China. All in all, Wei’s visit once again served to show, to the people of Nepal and China and the world, that Nepal-China relations are as strong as ever. Moreover, the visit also shows how seriously Nepal takes its relationship with its neighbours and the importance it accords to both India and China. Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla returned on Friday after concluding a fruitful two-day trip. Before Shringla, the chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian intelligence agency had also visited Nepal. In all these visits, Nepal pledged to work together with its immediate neighbours in issues of bilateral concerns and solve any issues through dialogue.