Just days after Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla visited Nepal, the Chinese state councilor and defense minister Wei Fanghe hurridly paid a one day visit to Nepal on Sunday, The Himalayan Times reported. 

During his day-long visit, Wei met with Nepali Army Chief General Purna Chandra Thapa, President Vidya Devi Bhandari, and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. 

According to a press release by the office of the President, Bandhari lauded China for respecting Nepal’s “sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.” She also called the visit by the Chinese defense minister “an important milestone” for advancing the century-old relations of the two nations. 

The meeting is also significant in the sense that it comes at a time when the ruling NCP has been facing one of the worst crises in recent times. Many reports indicated the party is on the verge of a split.

Significantly, Wei was also given a short presentation on the history and roles of the Nepali Army, reads a press release by the army headquarters.
 
“The Nepali Army is confident that this visit will help further strengthen and expand the cordial military to military relations between the two countries,” the Nepali Army said in its release.

During the bilateral discussion, it was also decided to resume training, student exchange programme, and defense assistance that were impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As the Nepali government suddenly announced the Chinese defense minister’s visit on Friday, many experts believe the visit came in  response to many high-profile visits from Indian officials to Nepal. 

Recently the chief of Indian external intelligence (R&AW), the Indian army chief, and the Indian foreign secretary had visited the Himalayan nation separately in the last two months.