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State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi is arriving in Nepal for a three-day visit on Friday.

He is visiting Nepal at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Narayan Khadka from March 25-27, read a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

During the visit, Minister Wang Yi will pay a courtesy call on President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Khadka and Wang Yi will hold bilateral talks, leading their respective delegations, on 26 March, according to the Ministry.

Minister Wang Yi will also hold separate meetings with former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and former Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

CPN-UML Vice Chairman Bishnu Paudel along with three other leaders have left for China on Monday.

Paudel was accompanied by UML Standing Committee member Kashi Nath Adhikari, Central Accounting Commission Chairman Pushpa Kandel, central committee member and Karnali Province Assembly member Mina Singh Rakhal.

UML Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Rimal said that the team led by Paudel had left for the northern neighbor to take part in the Economic Cooperation and Cultural Exchange program to be held in Kunming, China.

Rimal said that the Poudel-led delegation will also meet Song Tao, head of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party.

China has been urging the communist forces to be united. China has once again tried to unite the splintered forces at a time when the local level elections are just round the corner.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will arrive in Nepal on Friday.

Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce & Industry (NICCI) welcomed newly appointed Nepali Ambassador to India Shankar Sharma at NICCI Secretariat, Narayanchaur, Naxal today.

Shreejana Rana welcomed Ambassador Sharma and briefed about the formation of NICCI in 1993 with the objective of promotion and facilitation to Nepal-India Investment and cooperation for the economic development of the country, read a statement issued by the NICCI.

Rana further informed Ambassador Sharma that NICCI has been working on Coffee Table Book and website for the promotion of Nepal-India Cross-border Religious Circuits and very soon it will be published and launched.

Rana requested Sharma for support on this so as to have ownership as it is the promotion of the tourism of both the countries.

Secretary General RB Rauniar also shared the issues related to Nepal-India Trade & Transit in which Sharma could play and important role to resolve the issues like, documents to be presented in custom on import via transshipment and via road transport where there is no uniformity, development of infrastructure in Indian side custom (especially at Panitanki custom at Indian side). Another issue is to connect rail connectivity to Kathmandu from Birjung which may cut down the logistic cost while importing the goods, the statement further read.

NICCI Treasurer Ghanendra Lal Pradhan, also put his suggestion to Ambassador Sharma that since Hydropower is the area where big investment could come as now the investors from both the countries have interest in water so it won’t be an issue to convince big investors there in India. That is why, Pradhan requested Ambassador Sharma to look into this and if could convince 4-5 big investors there in India that would be a great help for the development of the Hydropower sector of the country, according to the statement.

NICCI Vice President Sunil KC also briefed newly appointed Nepali Ambassador Sharma about the programs being planned by NICCI like Partnership Summit to bring investors in Nepal as an annual event so as to develop Nepal as an investment destination like in 90’s era and Kathmandu-Kolkata Forum (K2K Forum) as to bring stakeholders from both the countries and discuss on issues so that the way forward could be identified.

Saibal Ghosh, Convener of Indian Business Forum and Vice President of NICCI also shared his views that Investing in Nepal is good enough even today compared to other countries as there we have low corporate tax and cheap labor available here in Nepal though there has been few bottleneck like repatriation issue, re-investment issue and IPR and Trademark issues.

Ukraine has rejected a Russian ultimatum offering people in the besieged city of Mariupol safe passage out of the port if they surrender, BBC reported.

Under Russia's proposal, civilians would be allowed to leave if the city's defenders laid down arms. 

But Ukraine has refused, saying there was no question of it surrendering the strategic port city. 

Around 300,000 people are believed to be trapped there with supplies running out and aid blocked from entering.

Residents have endured weeks of Russian bombardment with no power or running water. 

Details of the Russian proposal were laid out on Sunday by Gen Mikhail Mizintsev, who said Ukraine had until 05:00 Moscow time (02:00 GMT) on Monday morning to accept its terms.

Under the plans, Russian troops would have opened safe corridors out of Mariupol from 10:00 Moscow time (07:00 GMT), initially for Ukrainian troops and "foreign mercenaries" to disarm and leave the city, according to BBC.

After two hours, Russian forces say they would then have allowed humanitarian convoys with food, medicine and other supplies to enter the city safely, once the de-mining of the roads was complete.

Russian Gen Mizintsev admitted that a terrible humanitarian catastrophe was unfolding there - and said the offer would have allowed civilians to flee safely to either the east or west. 

In response to the offer, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Ukraine would not stop defending Mariupol.

"There can be no question of any surrender, laying down of arms," she was quoted by Ukrainska Pravda as saying.

Earlier on Sunday, Pyotr Andryushenko, who is an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, vowed the city's defenders would fight on.

"We will fight until the last of our soldiers," he said, BBC reported.

He told the BBC's Newshour that Moscow's humanitarian promises could not be trusted, and repeated unconfirmed claims made by Mariupol officials in recent days that Russian forces have been forcibly evacuating some of its residents to Russia.

"When they [Russian forces] say about humanitarian corridors, what do they really do? They really force evacuate our people to Russia," Andryushenko said.

The BBC has not been able to verify these accusations.

Mariupol is a key strategic target for Russia and has seen some of the invasion's deadliest fighting.

Russian troops have encircled the city over the past few weeks, trapping its residents inside without access to electricity, water or gas. 

Communication with civilians unable to leave is limited but food and medical supplies are believed to be running out and Russia has blocked any humanitarian aid from getting in.

Since the invasion began the port city has witnessed some of the most intense fighting in all of Ukraine, with Russian forces so far failing to take the city from its defenders, according to BBC.

According to one estimate, 90% of the city's buildings have been damaged or destroyed in attacks since the war began three weeks ago, and authorities say at least 2,500 people have been killed although the true figure may be higher. 

After last week's destruction of a theatre where more than 1,000 people were sheltering, on Sunday authorities in Mariupol said that an arts school with 400 people inside has also been attacked, BBC reported.