The meeting between Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday primarily focused on enhancing connectivity between the two countries, officials have said.

The two sides focused mainly on road and railway connectivity between Nepal and China along with finalising the protocol of the Trade and Transit agreements.

“Only sufficient infrastructure of connectivity will ensure better trade and transit and the issue was discussed prominently during the meeting,” a high-level government official told the Post.

Among several agreements signed by the two countries during the China visit of then-PM KP Sharma Oli, connectivity—specifically the issue of Kerung-Kathmandu-Lumbini railway—remains a top priority for the Chinese side, according to officials.

The Chinese side wants to sign deals with Nepal under its Belt and Road initiative. At the meeting, Dahal expressed his readiness to join the plan.

Opening up of new entry routes to China and upgradation of roads are the main priorities of the two countries, officials said. During the meeting, PM Dahal assured the Chinese side that the pacts signed between the two countries would be implemented. “We reiterated that we are eager to implement the past pacts,” Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat told the Post.

There is national consensus in Nepal on implementing all the agreements with China, said a member of the Nepali delegation. According to China’s official Xinhua news agency, Xi called for concerted efforts to carry out the consensuses the two sides have reached on beefing up cooperation on connectivity, free trade and energy.