Nepal Foreign Minister to visit China next week amid rising tension with US

Nepal Foreign Minister Dr Narayan Khadka is set to embark on a three-day visit to China to hold delegation-level talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

"At the invitation of Mr Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Hon. Dr Narayan Khadka, Minister for Foreign Affairs is visiting China from 09 to 11 August 2022," Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release.

The two ministers will hold bilateral talks, along with their respective delegations on August 10 in Qingdao, China.

The planned visit of the Nepali Foreign Minister comes against the backdrop of rising tension between the US and China. Beijing has sought support from the Himalayan nation over the recent visit of Pelosi to Taiwan.

Earlier this week, the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal- Hou Yanqi claimed the visit by US House Speaker Pelosi to Taiwan was "a serious violation of the one-China principle and the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Seeking Nepal's support, the Chinese ambassador in her statement said, "China and Nepal are good neighbours, trustworthy friends and reliable partners linked by mountains and rivers. The two countries have always understood and supported each other on issues of core interests concerning respective sovereignty, security and territorial integrity."

"China highly appreciates Nepal's longstanding commitment to the one-China principle and resolute opposition to 'Taiwan Independence.' It is also the political foundation of China-Nepal relations. We believe that the government of Nepal and its people will continue to abide by the one-China principle and understand and support China's legitimate and justified position and work together with China to defend each other's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity," the envoy added.

The Nepal government on the other side hasn't reacted to the heightened face-off between the two nations. "We are observing the development in the region," Sewa Lamsal, Nepal government spokesperson told ANI over the phone.

The Nepal foreign minister's visit comes amid the rising tension between the US and China. Analysts believe that Nepal may face a hard time balancing ties with two world powers and continue to maintain its policy of non-alignment or not.

The Nepal foreign ministry has informed that Khadka would wrap up his visit on August 11 and return back home.