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Nepal and China pledged here Sunday to deepen their friendship and continue to firmly support each other in safeguarding their core interests, Xinhua reported.

While meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari said Nepal and China have enjoyed profound friendship and they are good neighbors and good friends.

Nepal is pleased to see that China has made great achievements in its development and Nepal has benefited a lot from China's development, the Nepali president said.

Nepal will, as always, stay committed to developing friendly relations with China and sticking to the one-China policy, Bhandari said.

Expressing gratitude for China's selfless assistance in Nepal's socioeconomic development, especially in the post-quake reconstruction and the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Bhandari said Nepal is ready to work together with China to push forward the joint building of the Belt and Road.

For his part, Wang said China and Nepal are good friends and good partners, with friendship dating back over a thousand years. Both sides have been supporting and helping each other, becoming a model for equal treatment, mutual respect and win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes, according to Xinhua.

The Chinese side cherishes the traditional friendship between China and Nepal, and will continue to support Nepal in safeguarding its independence, sovereignty and national dignity, exploring a development path suited to its own interests, and pursuing independent domestic and foreign policies, Wang said.

China stands ready to work with the Nepali side to deepen bilateral friendship, and continue to firmly support each other in safeguarding their core interests, Wang said.

Bhandari said her country never approves the slanders by certain international forces against both China and the Communist Party of China, and it wishes and firmly believes that China's path and the China model will achieve greater success.

Wang said the Chinese side is happy to see that friendship with China has become a social consensus going beyond parties and different party factions in Nepal, Xinhua reported.

The Chinese side is willing to strengthen exchanges with Nepal's political parties and different party factions on state governance experience, and join hands to push forward the cause of promoting democracy and human rights for mankind, Wang said.

Wrapping up his three-day visit to Nepal, State Councilor and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi returned home on Sunday.

Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal among other senior government officials bade farewell to Minister Wang in a special room at the Tribhuvan International Airport this afternoon.

The Chinese foreign minister, who came to Nepal at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart, paid calls on President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

He also held separate meetings with CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a meeting at the Hotel Marriott in Naxal, Kathmandu on Sunday.

During the meeting, Chairman Dahal urged Foreign Minister Wang to take a necessary initiative to implement the projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Shakti Basnet, who attended the meeting, said that the two leaders discussed expediting BRI-related projects among others and reducing trade deficit.

In response, Minister Wang said that China would respect any decision taken by Nepal in its development efforts, Basnet said.

Earlier this afternoon, the Chinese Foreign Minister held a meeting with former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli at the same hotel.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli held a meeting at Marriott Hotel in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Vice-Chairman Ishwor Pokharel and General Secretary Shankar Paudel among others from the CPN-UML were present in the meeting.

During the meeting, Minister Wang said that China was eager to implement the BRI project.

In response, Oli said that the BRI project should be implemented at the earliest.

After the meeting, UML Foreign Department Head Rajan Bhattarai said that the two leaders discussed the implementation of the BRI project.

Earlier this morning, Minister Wang paid a courtesy call on President Bidya Devi Bhandari at Sheetal Niwas.

During the meeting, the duo discussed Nepal-China relations and projects under the BRI among other issues.