Amid reports that a miffed Chinese President Xi Jinping has cancelled his proposed maiden visit to Nepal, the Nepalese government today said that there was no truth in the news.
"There was no truth in the news report about the cancellation of the proposed official visit by President Xi to Nepal," Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat told PTI.
Mahat's remarks came in response to news reports that President Xi has cancelled his proposed visit to Nepal.
"We are expecting the visit of the Chinese President, though the date of the visit has not yet been fixed," he said.
According to media reports, President Xi has put off his Nepal visit, citing lack of preparations on the Nepalese side.
The reports also said Xi was unhappy with Nepal due to its pro-India approach and disinterest in fulfilling commitments made by former prime minister K P Oli during his visit to Beijing.
During his visit, Oli had signed the Transit Transport Agreement to improve the connectivity between Nepal and Tibet in a bid to end decades-old dependency on India for daily supplies.
However, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said they have no information about the cancellation of Xi's visit.
Last month Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara had visited Beijing as a special envoy of Prime Minister Prachanda and handed over an invitation by President Bidya Devi Bhandari to the Chinese president to visit Nepal.
After his return, Mahara had said the Chinese president accepted the invitation and he would visit Nepal soon.
The Nepal government was expecting the visit of Xi by mid-October, according to Foreign Ministry sources here.
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