KATHMANDU, April 26: President Bidya Devi Bhandari and her entourage reached Beijing on Thursday evening after visiting various historical places in Shaanxi Province.
President Bhandari was received by Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Kong Xuanyou, Ambassador of China to Nepal Hou Yanqi, and Ambassador of Nepal to China Leela Mani Paudyal and other officials of the Nepali embassy in Beijing.
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The president will attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing Friday. She will also deliver a speech at the Forum, and attend a banquet hosted by President Xi Jinping later in the evening.
Earlier on Thursday, Shaanxi Province Governor Liu Gouzhong called on the President Bhandari in Xi’an. Various aspects of bilateral relations were discussed during the call-on. Promoting cooperation between Nepal and Shaanxi Province, particularly in the fields of culture, education, tourism, investment and people-to-people contacts figured prominently during the meeting, according to a press statement issued by Embassy of Nepal in Beijing.
They also discussed the promotion of sister relationship between various cities in both the countries. Following the call-on, the governor had hosted a banquet luncheon in honor of the president and the Nepali delegation.
Earlier in the morning, President Bhandari visited the historic Da Ci’en Temple, which has historic links with Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. In the afternoon before leaving for Beijing, she visited the world-famous Terracotta Warriors Museum. The president was briefed on the historic significance and current status of both the places.
Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, Province 3 C Dormani Poudel, Members of the Federal Parliament, high-ranking government officials and Ambassador of China to Nepal andAmbassador of Nepal to China were among those present during the events.