Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to visit Nepal

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was due to arrive in Nepal Saturday for talks which mark the first visit for a decade by a leader of the world's second largest economy, the government in Kathmandu said. The agenda for the visit has not been disclosed but analysts expect Wen and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to discuss investment from Beijing worth billions of dollars for wide-ranging infrastructure projects. "We are scheduled to sign agreements on increasing Chinese assistance to Nepal. There will be discussion also on the peace and constitution-making process of Nepal," Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun said. Wen is also expected to seek support for Beijing's policies in the restive region of Tibet, which has seen a wave of self-immolations over the past year in protest at Chinese rule. Nepal, home to 20,000 Tibetan exiles, is under pressure to stem the flow of Tibetans fleeing their homeland. Hundreds make the difficult and dangerous journey to Nepal every year, fleeing political and religious repression in China, though their numbers have fallen sharply in the past few years. More than 200 Tibetan exiles have been arrested in the past few days for illegally entering the Himalayan republic, police said, as part of security crackdown in the capital. Sudhir Shahi, a police inspector at Thankot check point, the main entrance to Kathmandu by road, said the detainees were held on Thursday and Friday while they were travelling by bus from India. Premier Zhu Rongji was the last Chinese leader to visit neighbouring Nepal, in 2001, although recent years have seen a flurry of visits by Chinese delegations. Analysts say that while India has traditionally been the influential player, China is making huge inroads in the Himalayan nation, which is recovering after the end in 2006 of a decade-long civil war which killed 16,000 people. Since the end of the conflict, political infighting has paralysed the country but much recent progress has been made in key areas of the peace process, including an agreement on the integration of 6,500 former Maoist fighters into the army. "This is the highest level visit from China to Nepal in more than 10 years. It will be an important platform to strengthen the relationship between the two countries," said Tanka Karki, a former Nepali Ambassador to Beijing. "We can expect Chinese support in infrastructure development. China's support for peace and constitution-making is also important." Wen had been due to visit Nepal in December but the trip was cancelled amid speculation over security concerns. He was expected to leave for the Middle East later Saturday on a trip to key oil-producing nations.