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Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is paying an official visit to the People’s Republic of China from December 2-5 at the cordial invitation of Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by his spouse Radha Shakya.

The Prime Minister is Scheduled to meet with Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing, reads a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Prime Minister Oli will hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang and exchange views on matters of mutual interest.

The Prime Minister will hold a meeting with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will deliver a keynote address at Peking University.

The Prime Minister will address the Nepal-China Business Forum, which is being jointly hosted by the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, according to the statement.

The entourage of the Prime Minister will comprise Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Economic and Development Advisor to the Prime Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada, members of the Parliament, high-ranking government officials, representatives of the private sector and media persons.

The Prime Minister and his delegation will return to Kathmandu on December 5.

The Asian Spinal Cord Network (ASCoN), the network of 75 member organizations across 18 countries of the Asian continent, awarded Esha Thapa, Executive Director of Spinal Injury Sangha Nepal (SISN), with this year’s ASCoN Star Award.

The ASCoN Star Award, initiated in 2015, recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement of spinal cord injury (SCI) services and support. This accolade was first awarded to Valerie A. Taylor, Founder of the Center for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), Bangladesh, and has since become an annual tradition to honor exemplary dedication in SCI management.

Thapa, a prominent figure in the health and disability sector for over two decades, has been instrumental in fostering transformative rehabilitation services and empowering persons with spinal cord injury in Nepal.

In its statement, ASCoN noted: “We recognize Thapa for her exceptional contribution and unwavering dedication to improving spinal cord injury services in Nepal and across Asia through knowledge-exchange and capacity-building. Her work exemplifies the spirit of innovation, compassion and resilience that ASCoN strives to inspire across its network.”

Under Thapa’s leadership, SISN – established in 2001 – has emerged as a beacon of hope for individuals with SCI in Nepal. SISN’s initiatives, the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC) and the Vocational Opportunity for Inclusion in the Community and Employment (VOICE) Centre, have collectively impacted over 4500 lives of persons with SCI.

ASCoN, founded in 2001, continues to play a critical role in connecting organisations and stakeholders across Asia. It is an affiliated society of the International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS). The annual ASCoN conference, whose 2024 edition just concluded in Nepal, serves as a platform for government policymakers, medical professionals and advocates to collaborate and promote policies and practices that improve the lives of persons with SCI.

Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Paudel has said that Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital is going to be developed as a burn treatment center.

Minister Paudel said it in a program organized on Thursday to welcome the new director Albert Benzin of the hospital in Sankhu in Shankharapur Municipality of Kathmandu. He said that he is working by prioritizing the treatment of burn cases.

He said, "Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital is a specialized hospital for burn treatment. The government has recently announced eight other hospitals across the country as hospitals where burns can be treated. Sushma Koirala Hospital can also be added to it, he said.

Health Minister Paudel said that the hospital, which is run by the Sushma Koirala Memorial Trust with German support, can provide training on burn treatment to doctors and nurses working in other hospitals as well.

Similarly, former Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala said that in the beginning, they had to face a lot of problems to open hospitals in remote areas.  She said that in the beginning, there was no treatment for burn cases in the country when the hospital was established.

Nepali Congress central member and parliamentarian Chandra Bhandari mentioned that there is a need for burns treatment hospitals across the country.

Mayor of Shankharapur Municipality, Ramesh Napit, mentioned that Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital is the oldest burn hospital.

Hospital director Santosh Bikram Bhandari shared that Sushma Koirala Memorial Hospital was established in 2054 BS as the first hospital in Nepal for the treatment of burns. Since its inception, the hospital has treated 48, 322 people and performed 32, 864 surgeries related to burn cases. The hospital, which is run with the help of Germany, has treated 15,375 people free of cost so far.

The Bala Chaturdashi festival is being observed throughout the country today by commemorating the departed souls.

Devotees have gathered in the Shiva temples including the Pashupatinath Temple since last night to observe the festival.

In the night, they light lamps in commemoration of the departed family members and spend the night observing a vigil. In the wee hours the next day, the devotees sow the Satbeej (seven kinds of grains) along the premises of the shrines this morning. 

The festival formally began on the night of the 13th day of the waning moon in the month of Mangsir and is concluded today by spreading the Satbeej along the premises of shrines of Hindu god Shiva.

A large number of devotees have thronged the Pashupatinath Temple to observe the Bala Chaturdashi festival, according to the source. Those unable to visit reached the temples of Shiva nearby their residences and localities and observed the festival.

The silence period of the by-elections for the local level has started from midnight today.

With the beginning of the by-elections, publicity events for the by-elections have been prohibited from last midnight in accordance with the election code of conduct.

The EC has urged all stakeholders to ensure the by-elections are conducted in a free, fair, and impartial manner.

The by-elections for some local levels is scheduled to take place on December 1.

According to the Election Commission, election-related activities are prohibited until the completion of vote counting, starting from midnight tonight, 48 hours before the voting day.

The EC has already arranged to enforce the election code of conduct at the concerned local levels by monitoring activities to prevent violations during this silent period.

Activities such as interactions, assemblies, conferences, workshops, and seminars in favor of or against candidates, as well as soliciting votes for candidates through digital platforms and social media such as SMS, Facebook, and Viber are restricted during this 48-hour period in accordance with the election code of conduct, Spokesperson at the EC Nita Pokharel said.

Rivers and mountains have been and will continue to be an enduring feature of Nepal-China friendship. Rugged terrains and rare rough patches in bilateral relationship notwithstanding, people-to-people exchanges between the two countries have thrived and will, in all likelihood, continue to thrive in the coming days, years and ages. The visit of Faxian to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, in the fifth century, the visit of Xuanzang in the seventh century, the marriage of Nepali Princess Vrikuti with King Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century and the visit of Nepali monk Buddhabhadra, the first Nepali monk to visit China, in the fifth century and the contributions of Nepali artist Arniko in China, including the construction of the White Pagoda, are among the key highlights of these exchanges.

Nepali people, including those living in the Himalayan region, have thriving relations with the Chinese people. They get their supplies from nearby Chinese markets, graze their cattle in pastures across the border in accordance with mutual arrangements, sell their products across the border and often find their soulmates there.

About 70 years ago, our two ancient countries established (updated, rather) their diplomatic relations. These years have also been marked by peace and amity between the two neighbors, with no major dispute, border or otherwise. This relationship achieved a key milestone during this time with the construction of the Kodari highway that has played a key role in improving connectivity between our two countries. Yet another highlight of this relationship is increasing Chinese investment in infrastructure projects. 

Against this backdrop, recent times have seen a disturbing tendency of dragging China’s flagship BRI project into controversy. They are as strong as the soaring mountains and as dynamic as the rivers born there. 

China can help Nepal tap the potential of her rivers for injecting life into her economy by investing in or providing assistance for the construction of multipurpose projects with hydropower, irrigation, navigation, fisheries and drinking water as components. There is also a huge scope for transformation of fossil fuel-run transport systems into green energy-run systems.  It can also help make sure that Gautam Buddha International Airport and Pokhara International Airport take off in a real sense.

On its part, Nepal will continue to be sensitive toward Chinese security concerns and abide by the principle of Panchsheel.      

In summary, Nepal-China relationship has a huge scope. Let’s hope that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s upcoming visit to China will be yet another step in realizing that scope. 

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held this evening approved Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's visit to the People's Republic of China.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey said that the Cabinet meeting held at the Office of the Prime Minister approved PM Oli's visit to China taking place from December 2-5.

"Agendas are being discussed about the PM's China visit. The agendas have not been finalized. Members of the PM's delegation and the PM's (China) visit have been approved," Minister Pandey said.

The private sector's presence will be significant during the visit but the government will not have any financial burden, Minister Pandey stated.  

He shared that the next meeting of the Council of Ministers will finalize the agenda of the China visit.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 8. 30 points to close at 2,748.05 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 3. 38 points to close at 477. 50 points.

A total of 16,663,355-unit shares of 307 companies were traded for Rs 8. 54 billion.

Meanwhile, Bishal Bazar Company Limited (BBC) and Wean Nepal Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (WNLB) were the top gainers today with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise, Manushi Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (MLBS) was the top loser as its price fell by 10. 00 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 55 trillion.