Nepal PM Oli raises Lipulekh trade route issue with China’s Xi ahead of SCO summit

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Saturday met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin, where he raised Kathmandu’s objections over the use of Lipulekh, a territory claimed by Nepal but disputed by India.

Oli, who arrived in Tianjin earlier in the day to attend the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and the SCO Plus meeting, held bilateral discussions with Xi shortly after his arrival.

According to Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, the prime minister “clearly expressed Nepal’s objection” to the agreement between India and China allowing Lipulekh to be used as a trade route. The prime minister’s secretariat said the issue was raised firmly during the talks.

Nepal insists that Lipulekh belongs to its territory, while India has dismissed the claim as “neither justified nor supported by historical facts and evidence.”

“Nepal believes that China will cooperate with Nepal in this regard,” the Prime Minister was quoted as saying in the statement.

However, China was silent on Nepalese Prime Minister Oli’s contentious objections.

An official statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry made no reference to the issue.

PM Oli’s secretariat said that the two leaders also agreed to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation.

”They also agreed to move forward the bilateral mechanism for enhancing bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries,” the statement added.

PM Oli expressed “hope on accelerating implementation of projects already agreed, including under the BRI, he requested support in such areas as fertiliser, petroleum, exploration, human resources, development, climate resilience and people-to-people connection,” a press release issued by the Nepalese Embassy in China said.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement said Xi, in his talks with Oli, pointed out that China-Nepal cooperation on the high-quality Belt and Road Initiative is steadily advancing, and the two peoples are becoming closer and closer.

Xi stressed that the two sides should enhance strategic mutual trust and firmly support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns, the statement said.

They should promote cooperation in industry, agriculture and animal husbandry, new energy, environmental protection, oil and gas, artificial intelligence, education, health, law enforcement, and security, he added.

The statement quoted Oli as saying that Nepal-China relations have withstood various trials and tribulations and have grown stronger over time.

The two sides have always respected and trusted each other and cared for each other’s concerns. Cooperation with China has effectively promoted Nepal’s economic and social development, it added.

Nepal firmly adheres to the one-China principle, resolutely opposes ”Taiwan independence,” and will not allow any force to use Nepali territory to harm China’s interests, in an apparent reference to Kathmandu’s crackdown on Tibetans crossing over to India to meet the Dalai Lama, it said.

Oli reached Tianjin Saturday afternoon. He held a bilateral meeting with President Xi in the Guest House situated in Tianjin.

Prime Minister Oli is accompanied by his spouse Radhika Shakya, Minister for Science and Education Raghuji Panta, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Pandey and other high-level government officials.

He is on an official visit to China to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2025.

He is also due to attend a military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

With inputs from agencies