Nepal rolled out the red carpet on Saturday for China's President Xi Jinping but rounded up Tibetans to prevent protests during the first state visit by a Chinese leader in 23 years.
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari received him at Kathmandu airport to the sounds of the two countries' national anthems, played by an army band. "It is important that we adopt a strategic and long-term perspective and draw up a blueprint for our bilateral relationship to take it to a new height in this new era," Xi added.
Nepal is home to around 20,000 exiled Tibetans, but under pressure from Beijing the communist government has taken an increasingly hardline stance on their activities. Landlocked Nepal, sandwiched between India and China, is seeking closer ties and much-needed energy and infrastructure investment from Beijing."Our priority is to create opportunities for Nepal, joining it to China's development. We are focusing on connectivity between the two countries," he said.