Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Kathmandu Thursday on a three-day official visit, becoming the first senior level official from Beijing to visit the Himalayan nation after the election of the Constituent Assembly last year.
The visit, according to Nepali media reports, is a prelude to the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping later next year as Nepal and China mark the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations.
According to Nepal Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, the Nepali side will seek Chinese investments in energy, infrastructure and other sectors.
"We will make available to them the potential areas for investments," said Pandey, who will hold bilateral talks with Wang Friday morning.
Though there will be no signing of any agreement this time, Wang's visit will set the tone for high-level visits from both sides next year, he said.
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The Chinese foreign minister will also deliver a speech before Nepali leaders, diplomats, officials and intellectuals on China's peripheral diplomacy outlined by President Xi. China has become one of the largest FDI contributors in Nepal, surpassing India recently.
Moreover, China recently decided to up its annual assistance to Nepal from 150 million yuan ($24.1 million) to 800 million yuan.
Besides holding bilateral talks, Wang will hand over medical equipment worth Nepali Rs.200 million (around $2 million) and lay the founding stone for the Armed Police Force's Academy which is to be built with Chinese assistance of 200 million yuan.
Wang will also meet President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala separately. After completing his Nepal visit, he will leave for Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday.
(Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com)