Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli raised the Lipu Lekh dispute during a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on Saturday, August 30, according to the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing.
Referring to the recent understanding between India and China on border trade through the Lipu Lekh Pass, the prime minister stressed that the territory belongs to Nepal and that the government has registered its strong objection, the embassy said in a statement.
Both Nepal and India claim the pass lies within their territory. In May 2020, Nepal unveiled a new political map incorporating Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh within its borders, six months after India’s revised map placed the areas within Indian territory. Oli was prime minister at the time as well. Earlier that month, India had announced the opening of a road link via Lipu Lekh to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet.
The dispute on Nepal’s northwestern frontier has strained Kathmandu’s ties with New Delhi and complicated Oli’s relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also landed in Tianjin Saturday for the summit.
In response, President Xi said he has no dissenting view on Nepal’s stance and expressed that the issue be resolved through dialogue between Nepal and India, reported the state-owned RSS news agency, citing Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai.
In Saturday’s bilateral talks, Oli and Xi pledged to strengthen Nepal–China relations and broaden cooperation across multiple sectors.
According to the embassy, the two leaders discussed “various aspects of Nepal–China relations” and reaffirmed their commitment to advancing a mutually beneficial partnership.
Oli thanked China for its “continuous support” in Nepal’s development and described bilateral ties, rooted in the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, as “trouble-free.” He also conveyed best wishes for the success of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 and sought Beijing’s support for Nepal’s aspiration to join the regional bloc.
He further called for faster implementation of agreed projects, including those under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and requested Chinese support in areas of fertiliser, petroleum exploration, human resource development, climate resilience and people-to-people exchanges.
President Xi assured that China remains committed to supporting Nepal’s national vision of “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali.” He pledged deeper cooperation in multilateral forums such as the UN and SCO, and thanked Nepal for its firm adherence to the One China policy. Xi reiterated Beijing’s readiness to advance “high-quality” BRI projects already agreed upon.
Oli arrived in Tianjin on Saturday afternoon, leading Nepal’s delegation to the SCO Summit at Xi’s invitation. He was welcomed at Tianjin Binhai International Airport by senior Chinese officials and Nepal’s Ambassador to China, Dr Krishna Prasad Oli.
The prime minister is scheduled to meet some world leaders on the sidelines of the summit and attend a welcome banquet and gala performance hosted by President Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan Sunday.
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