KATHMANDU: President of China, Xi Jinping returned home on Sunday afternoon wrapping up his two-day state visit to Nepal signaling a recalibration of bilateral ties.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister KP Oli, among others bade farewell to President Xi at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Sunday.

He had arrived here on October 12 at the invitation of Nepali’s President Bhandari.

During his 22-hour-stay in Kathmandu President Xi engaged in a series of meetings and talks, including with President Bhandari, Prime Minister K P Oli, Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Nepali Congress (main opposition party) President Sher Bahadur Deuba, among others on Saturday and Sunday here.

Also, the Chinese delegation held delegation-level talks with the Nepali side.

This was the first state visit by a Chinese President to Nepal after 23 years.

On Sunday, a total of 20 documents of agreements and memoranda of understandings were signed between the two sides in the presence of President Xi and Prime Minister K P Oli.

Earlier, President Xi expressed gratitude saying he was quite ‘impressed’ with the way that he was welcomed and received at the airport on Saturday adding that the peoples of Nepal and China have always shared weal and woe besides setting examples of friendly exchanges.

President Bhandari, Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, PM Oli, Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers, among others had accorded a warm welcome to the guest at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Saturday.

The short visit as President Xi dubbed was ‘memorable’ since it showed how Nepali people loved the Chinese people.

He assuredly hoped that this would carry forward the traditional friendship by taking the bilateral relations to a higher level.

That was one of the reasons why Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali termed the visit as a ‘grand success’ on the part of the government and PM Oli.

In fact, President Xi reiterated China’s stance that it supported Nepal’s development efforts and appreciated Nepal for its unwavering stands on the ‘One-China Policy’.

While in Kathmandu, President Xi announced Rs 56 billion in assistance between 2020–2022, and assured to help Nepal transform itself from a ‘landlocked’ to a ‘land-linked’ country by developing Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network.

President Xi also assured of further enhancing connectivity between the two neighbors by opening up additional entry points.

Saying that the relations between Nepal and China have no problems, he stated that the relations between Nepal and China would further strengthen even in the days to come.

President Xi also said he would encourage Chinese tourists to visit Nepal to help make Nepal’s ambitious Visit Nepal 2020 campaign of bringing in 2 million tourists a grand success.

Likewise, Nepal and China also agreed to constitute a high-level mechanism to expedite the implementation of trade and transit agreements reached earlier between the two countries.

President Xi also assured to initiate a feasibility study of Nepal-China trans-Himalaya railways and become active in moving forward the Kathmandu-Kerung tunnel way.

The Arniko Highway will be upgraded in different stages and bring it into operation, he assured.

Meanwhile, the two sides signed and exchanged a list of instruments on Sunday. The lists include:

1. Agreement between the Governments of Nepal and the People’s Republic of China on the Boundary Management System

2. MoU between the Governments of Nepal and the People’s Republic of China on the Exchanges and Cooperation on Governance Capacity Building

3. Treaty between Nepal and the People’s Republic of China on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters

4. MoU on Mount Sagarmatha/Zhumulangma Protection Cooperation between Nepal and China

5. MoU on Promoting Key Projects of Investment and Cooperation on Productive Capacity between the National Planning Commission of Nepal and the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China.

6. Exchange of Note for Setting up a Consulate General of Nepal in Chengdu

7. MoU between the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport of Nepal and the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China on Feasibility Study of China-Nepal Cross-Border Railway Project.

8. Agreement between Kathmandu Metropolitan City of Nepal and Nanjing City of the People’s Republic of China on the Establishment of Sister-City Relationship.

9. Agreement between Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City of Nepal and Xi’an City of the People’s Republic of China on the Establishment of Sister-City Relationship.

10. MoU on Cooperation in Traditional Medicine between the Ministry of Health and Population of the Government of Nepal and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People’s Republic of China.

11. MoU between the Ministry of Home Affairs of Nepal and the Ministry of Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China Regarding Cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Response.

12. MoU on Cooperation between the Supreme People’s Procurator of the People’s Republic of China and Office of the Attorney General of Nepal

13. Agreement between Tribhuvan University of Nepal and Confucius Institute Headquarters of China on the Establishment of Confucius Institute at Tribhuvan University.

14. Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements for the Export of Citrus Fruits from Nepal to China between the Department of Agriculture of the Government of Nepal and General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China.

15. MoU between the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies of the Government of Nepal and the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China on the Establishment of Joint Working Group on Trade

16. Delivery and Acceptance Certificate for the China-Aid Earthquake Monitoring Network Project in Nepal

17. MoU on Establishment of Investment Cooperation Working Group between the Ministry of Finance of Nepal and the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China

18. MoU between the Ministry of Finance of Nepal and China International Development Cooperation Agency on Tunnels Construction Cooperation

19. Exchange of Letter for Border Security Equipment and Office Equipment

20. Minutes of Meeting for Feasibility Investigation of China-Aid Municipal Water Supply Improvement Project in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal