KATHMANDU – Nepal’s Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala left for a week-long tour of China on Tuesday, during which she will reassure Beijing that Kathmandu will not allow Tibetan exiles to launch anti-China activities from its soil.
More than 20,000 Tibetans have been living in Nepal since fleeing their homeland after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
China has pressed Nepal to control anti-Beijing activities of refugees who have been protesting against last year’s Chinese crackdown on demonstrations in and around Lhasa.
“We will reassure them about our One-China policy and convince that we will not allow our land to be used against
China,” Koirala told reporters before leaving Kathmandu for the tour.
Landlocked Nepal considers Tibet as part of China, a major aid donor and trade partner. It has arrested thousands of refugees for organising pro-Tibet protests since last year.
Trade and increased Chinese aid for infrastructure development including the construction of an airport will be on top of her agenda during her meetings with Chinese leaders, Koirala said.
Beijing has helped Nepal construct roads, hospitals and power plants in the past.
Maoist leader Prachanda, then the prime minister, visited Beijing in 2008 to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, breaking a tradition of new Nepali leaders making New Delhi their first foreign port of call.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who replaced Prachanda in May, visited India last month.
He is due to visit Beijing next, officials said.
