Chinese Premier Leaves for Maldives

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji left for the Maldives Wednesday after concluding a two-day official visit to Nepal aiming at promoting the friendship and economic cooperation between Nepal and China.

A farewell ceremony was held at the Tribhuvan International Airport for Premier Zhu and his wife Lao An.

During his stay in Nepal, Zhu met Nepali King Birendra and held official talks with Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

Zhu and Koirala exchanged views extensively on further developing bilateral relations and held in-depth discussions on expanding economic and trade ties.

Zhu also discussed issues of common concern with Nepali Foreign Minister Chakra Bastola, Speaker of the Lower House Taranath Ranabhat, Chairman of the Upper House Mohammad Mohsin, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist and Leninist (main opposition party) Madhav Nepal and President of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Pradeep Shrestha.

Zhu and Koirala attended the signing ceremony of six documents of economic cooperation between China and Nepal, including a memorandum of understanding on agriculture, an exchange of notes on the construction of a new road link between Nepal and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, a polytechnic institute and a hospital for civil servants in Kathmandu and an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and fiscal evasion.

Zhu arrived here Monday to visit Nepal, the second leg of his five-nation South Asia and Southeast Asia tour, which had taken him to Pakistan and will lead him to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

(Xinhua 05/16/2001)