China's Defence Minister Wei Fenghe to visit Nepal on Sunday; will hold talks with PM Oli

On November 27, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe will pay a one-day working visit to Nepal, nearly a week after India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla’s trip to the Himalayan nation. Fenghe is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepal’s Army Chief General Purna Chandra Thapa.

"Wei Fenghe, State Councilor and Defense Minister of the People`s Republic of China, is paying a one-day working visit to Nepal on 29 November 2020," the ministry confirmed in an official statement. 

The announcement of the Chinese counterpart’s visit coincides with the intra-party dispute in the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP). The former rocket force commander with the Chinese military PLA, and the first of four members of the Central Military Commission chaired by President Xi Jinping will have diplomatic exchanges with Nepal’s Army Chief in Kathmandu on November 29. The member of China’s Li Keqiang Cabinet is landing after India’s MEA confirmed Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla’s conclusion of the two-day visit to Nepal for “regular” high-level dialogue between the two countries as a priority to improve bilateral ties. 

Read: 'Meeting Nepal’s Vaccine Requirement Would Be India's Priority': Foreign Secy Shringla

Read: Shringla Inaugurates Three Schools Built Under Indian Assistance In Nepal's Gorkha District

According to a statement issued by Nepal’s Foreign Ministry, on November 26, Shringla “is scheduled to call on the high-level dignitaries of Nepal. He will also hand over COVID-19 related support to the Government of Nepal.” Earlier, Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane had also paid a visit to Kathmandu upon invitation by the Nepali defence counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa. The Indian Army Chief was received at the airport by Lieutenant General Prabhu Ram Sharma, CGS Nepali Army, and officials of the Indian Embassy.

Medical equipment for Nepal

According to a statement by the Indian Embassy in Nepal, during his three-day visit to Nepal, General MM Naravane had handed a consignment of medical equipment for the hospitals in Nepal battling the pandemic crisis. The batch of equipment included computed radiography systems, X-ray machines, video endoscopy units, ICU ventilators, anesthesia machines, protective gears, Amon others. Indian Army chief had also handed ventilators to Nepal’s Army in a ceremony where he paid homage to Bir Smarak (Martyr's Memorial) at Army Pavilion in Tundikhel, Kathmandu. 

Read: Nepal FM Responds 'positively' To Invitation For India-Nepal Minister-level Meeting In Dec

Read: COVID-19: India Says Meeting Nepal’s Vaccine Requirement Would Be Priority