KATHMANDU: Amid heightened intra-party row within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi has intensified political meetings in recent times.

On Friday morning, Ambassador Yanqi held an-hour-long talks with NCP Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. During the meeting held at Dahal’s residence in Khumaltar, the duo are learned to have discussed Nepal’s current political developments, particularly the NCP row, which has touched a new height of late.

Observers have to note that China has been particularly concerned over the latest political developments of Nepal.

The meeting with Dahal has been crucial at a time when Dahal and NCP senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal are hell-bent on ousting Prime Minister KP Oli amid intra-party wrangling, especially after PM Oli brought two ordinances last week in an effort to secure his position as the PM.

Both Dahal and Nepal are adamant to their stance that PM Oli should step down despite the fact that PM Oli proposed party Vice President Bam Dev Gautam as the new PM during the party’s Secretariat meeting held on Wednesday.

Likewise, soon after meeting with Dahal, Ambassador Yanqi went directly to NCP senior leader Nepal’s residence in Koteswor and discussed political developments, including the rift between two factions within the NCP.

Meanwhile, highly-placed sources have said Chinese Ambassador Yanqi on Thursday evening held around two-hour-long talks with PM Oli at the latter’s official residence in Baluwatar and discussed in length the latest developments seen in the ruling party.

This is the second meeting between PM Oli and Ambassador Yanqi in the last one week, Baluwatar sources said.

It should be noted that Chinese Ambassador Yanqi earlier on Monday met with Nepal’s President Bidya Bhandari and discussed the political developments here.

In fact, the meeting was held soon after Chinese President Xi Jinping held a telephonic conversation with President Bhandari and expressed China’s firm support to Nepal in its fight against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, NCP senior leader Nepal had on Wednesday held a video call with Song Tao, head of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China and discussed various issues, including the current status of novel coronavirus in the country.