Report in The Kathmandu Post, Nov 15, 2022
Visiting Chinese Vice Minister for Culture and Tourism Li Qun is leaving for Hong Kong on Tuesday after completing his five-day Nepal visit. He arrived in Kathmandu on Friday night.
Li, who is also the head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, visited Nepal on a “personal” visit and according to the government officials. Earlier, Nepal had asked Chinese officials to postpone the visit until after the November 20 elections, but the Chinese side declined the request saying the visit was not political. Li has not held any political meetings until Monday evening, according to a senior security official.
Although the Chinese side had requested for informal meetings with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka, both leaders were busy in election campaigns and the meetings have not taken place yet, according to an aide to the Prime Minister. “Since the Prime Minister is leaving the Capital on Tuesday morning and Foreign Minister Khadka is in his hometown of Udayapur, it is unlikely for them to hold a meeting with the Chinese official,” the aide said. A senior security official with knowledge of the Chinese delegation’s movement told the Post that the Chinese officials have not held any political meetings, including with Nepali Communist leaders.
On Monday, after touring the Bhaktapur Durbar square, the Chinese delegation headed for the hilltop resort of Nagarkot to spend the night.
Li visited the nine-storey Basantapur Palace Complex at Kathmandu Durbar Square on Sunday. The Chinese government recently completed the restoration of the complex, which was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake.
Li is the first Chinese official to visit Nepal after Xi Jinping was reelected for a record third time as general secretary of the Communist Party of China and the country’s president. Since the visit was termed ‘personal,’ there is no official announcement of the visit by both Nepal and China.
On Saturday, the Chinese delegation visited the Kathmandu Durbar Square and inspected the heritage site and Chinese-assisted restoration work. The Chinese delegation also visited the China Cultural Center at Maharajgunj and the Chinese embassy, Kathmandu.
On Sunday, they visited Swayambhunath, the Chhauni-based National Museum, Basantapur, Asan and Bauddhanath.
https://kathmandupost.com/national/2022/11/15/visiting-chinese-vice-minister-heading-for-hong-kong-today
