45-minute long telephone conversation held between President Bhandari and Chinese President Xi Jinping

KATHMANDU: While the government is seeking international support against the pandemic, the activeness of the head of state has also increased. On Wednesday, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari made a written and verbal request to provide vaccines to her counterparts from the two neighboring countries.

Recently, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had a telephone conversation for about 45 minutes. This is the second telephone conversation between the Presidents of Nepal and China in the year since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. 

During the conversation between the two heads of state, President Bhandari made a special request to the Chinese President to provide vaccines against COVID-19, a senior official of the President’s Office told Nepal Press.

In response, the Chinese President said that Nepal was an integral friend of China and was ready to extend necessary assistance to Nepal.

Discussing the traditional friendly relations between the two countries, President Bhandari also expressed the expectations regarding Chinese readiness to provide vaccines to Nepal.

Stating that Nepal needs to vaccinate about 20 million people and necessary initiatives are being taken for this, President Bhandari said in a telephone conversation with the Chinese President that Nepal is ready to purchase the required amount of vaccines. 

Stating that Nepal is in a difficult stage of the virus pandemic, President Bhandari is said to have inquired with the Chinese President about the amount of vaccines that China can provide.

Stating that Nepal has recognized the vaccine produced by Sinopharm of China for emergency use, President Bhandari also thanked China for providing 800,000 doses earlier.

During the telephone conversation, the President recalled the previous visit of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to Nepal and noted that China’s success in controlling the pandemic was exemplary.

On Wednesday, President Bhandari also wrote a letter to her Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind requesting him to take special initiative for the supply of vaccines.