en.Wedoany.com Reported - Nepal's new government has adjusted its diplomatic strategy, with Prime Minister Shah breaking precedent to hold a solo meeting with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda. Meanwhile, China's Vice Minister of Commerce is set to visit Nepal for economic and trade talks, accelerating foreign economic cooperation.
Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda visited Nepal this week, holding working talks with Finance Minister Barshaman Pun and officials on Monday, followed by a solo meeting with Prime Minister Shah on Tuesday, and inspecting ADB-funded projects in Nepal. His delegation included Sonam Sherpa, the newly appointed Nepali Director General of ADB's South Asia Department. Since taking office, Shah has shifted from traditional diplomatic practices, adopting a standardized format of collective meetings with foreign affairs officials. He has previously met collectively with all foreign envoys in Kathmandu and heads of diplomatic missions from multiple countries, while declining meeting requests from some foreign officials. Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba stated that Prime Minister Shah remains focused on national governance and economic development, and despite a busy schedule, foreign exchanges have not stalled. His first overseas destination has yet to be determined and will be arranged based on national development needs.
The ADB's visit to Nepal will result in the implementation of several aid projects. The two sides signed two major financing agreements: one is a $50 million policy-based loan for the modernization of Nepal's customs system, involving digital upgrades and streamlined processes to optimize cross-border trade. The other is a $115 million integrated water supply and sewage treatment project covering over a dozen urban and rural towns, establishing a comprehensive system for water supply, sewage, solid waste, and sludge management. The ADB has officially approved the financing plans for both projects.
China-Nepal bilateral economic and trade cooperation is also accelerating. China's Vice Minister of Commerce, Yan Dong, attended the Nepal-China Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting in Kathmandu on Tuesday. Established in 1983, this mechanism serves as a core platform for aligning economic and trade cooperation and development between the two countries. The meeting reviewed recent achievements in bilateral trade and economic-technical cooperation, with a focus on discussing cross-border connectivity, border roads, transit facilitation, trade settlement, laboratory construction, and banking cooperation, outlining follow-up plans.
