Modi, Prachanda, Xi hold ‘informal’ trilateral meeting

An unusual trilateral meeting took place here on Saturday evening, which highlighted the significance of Nepal in India’s ties with China. The unscheduled meeting reportedly began when Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked in when President Xi Jinping of China was meeting with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ of Nepal.

Nepali sources confirmed that the fifteen minute-long meeting was unscheduled and unplanned and took place after Nepal and China held a bilateral discussion on the sideline of the BRICS summit here. Mr Prachanda’s son, Prakash Dahal was also present in the venue. Immediately after the meeting Prime Minister Modi and President Xi left for a photo session for BRICS leaders.

However, sources said that the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere with all three seeking more cooperation on issues of mutual interest.

Following the meeting Mr. Prakash Dahal placed several photographs of the meeting on his Facebook page. Writing in Nepali, he said, that the meeting was “coincidental”. “With the help of right support from these major countries, Nepal’s prosperity is possible,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Earlier, President Xi and Prime Minister Prachanda held a bilateral meeting. During the meeting President Xi described China and Nepal as countries that are connected by rivers and mountains.

“He also called for concerted efforts to carry out the consensuses the two sides have reached on beefing up cooperation on connectivity, free trade and energy and continue to push forward cooperation in their pursuit of development. China is ready to support Nepal in its post-earthquake reconstruction, especially in restoring infrastructure, people's well-being and historical relics,” reported Chinese state-run media agency, Xinhua quoting President Xi’s comments.