Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, during his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, raised objections to the agreement between China and India to use Nepal’s Lipulek region as a trade corridor.
The two leaders met on Saturday at the Tianmin State Guest House, soon after Prime Minister Oli reached Tianjin to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit.
According to Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, who was present at the meeting, Oli conveyed Nepal’s clear objection to the agreement between China and India to designate Lipulek as a trade route.
“Under the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli, all territories east of the Mahakali River belong to sovereign Nepal. Nepal believes that China will support it on this matter,” Oli told Xi, adding: “Just as Nepal is clear that its territory will not be used against any country, it equally disagrees with any agreements made by other countries concerning its land.”
In response, President Xi said he had no differing view regarding Nepal’s position and expressed hope that the matter would be resolved through discussions between Nepal and India, Rai said.
During the bilateral talks, the two sides also discussed strengthening friendly relations and cooperation across multiple sectors, agreeing that government mechanisms would work actively to enhance ties and collaboration.
According to Oli’s Economic and Development Advisor Dr. Yubaraj Khatiwada, the talks also covered accelerating projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to support Nepal’s socio-economic development.
