Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is on an official visit to neighboring friendly country China from Monday. Its preparation has reached its final stage. Currently, the discussion about the Prime Minister's visit and its agenda is becoming widespread.

 BRI (Belt and Road Initiative), transit agreement and bilateral interest issues that could not be implemented during various high-level visits are expected to gain momentum after his visit. However, the multifaceted BRI project promoted by China has been debated whether it should be a loan or a grant. In the same way, there is also a suspicion that the expected achievements will not be achieved if the main debate is not on how to resolve other issues in the national interest, but on auxiliary and technical issues.

After it was confirmed that Prime Minister Oli will visit China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, a controversy started over the subject of the visit. There was even an attempt to make the visit to China a subject of controversy by asking which country should the Prime Minister of a sovereign country's first foreign visit be from.

A person who has been the prime minister of the country for three times gave an interview to the Indian media and said that 'without understanding the special relationship with India, the prime minister is trying to use the 'China card' by visiting China first' is a matter of shame for the sovereign country. In this way, when the preparation for the visit starts, when such a statement comes from a responsible person like the former prime minister, it creates confusion among the general public.

Similarly, the neighboring countries understand that we are divided on sensitive issues like foreign relations. From which country the prime minister of a sovereign country will make his first foreign visit depends on the needs of the country and the decision of the self-government. It is completely wrong for the former Prime Minister to express that he should visit a certain country first.

Prime Minister's visit to any friendly country is not just a formality. Historical agreements have been signed between Nepal and China under the leadership of the current Prime Minister. But agreements reached during other high-level visits are also being delayed. No agreement has been implemented.

Many areas and topics are covered under the BRI concept in the agreements between Nepal and China. This visit of Prime Minister Oli should play a role in discussing the issues one by one and advancing the issues of need and interest for the country.

Apart from BRI's historical transportation agreement, achievements should also be achieved in new areas by emphasizing on the implementation of past agreements in the fields of hydropower, connectivity, transport, education, tourism, culture, agriculture, education, health etc.

Likewise, it is believed that this visit will achieve achievements by advancing the projects related to infrastructure, urban development and connectivity that have already been proposed during the implementation of BRI. Now proposed by Nepal, Geelong-Kerung-Kathmandu cross-border railway, Tokha-Chhare tunnel, Hilsa-Simkot road, Kimathanka-road and bridge, Geelong-Kerung-Rasuwagadhi Chilime 220 kV cross-border transmission line, Kathmandu valley transmission line upgrade, Madan Bhandari University, Kathmandu-Hetaunda Podway, Amargadhi City Hall, China-Nepal Industrial Friendship Park etc. This visit should be a success. The achievements that could not be achieved during the visit of the Prime Minister of the government made up of two major parties in the Parliament cannot be achieved in the future.

However, at the end of the tour, there is also a suspicion that the preparations and debates that are being done in a hurry will not give the expected results. The main reason for this is not taking enough time to prepare for the concerns and needs of the two countries. In order for the visit of the executive head of the country to be successful, the issues of agreement and agreement should have been finalized after taking enough time to discuss the necessary issues.

The main topic of this visit is BRI. So it is being watched with interest to see how it progresses. BRI is being watched with interest not only within the country, but also by external powers. Therefore, there are some divided opinions on this issue even within the country. Even after a long time since the agreement, it is common understanding that the BRI implementation agreement has not reached its final stage due to the lack of consensus between the power partner parties and in the meantime due to various geopolitical maneuvers and pressures. Everyone is interested in whether the agreement will be implemented in this visit, whether any project under BRI will go ahead or not.

About 150 countries of the world have agreed on the BRI concept put forward by our neighboring friend China, which is the second largest economy in the world. Among them, 'game changing projects' have been progressed in many countries of South America, Africa, Europe, Asia. With few exceptions, countries that have cooperated according to their national needs, interests and capabilities have been successful. Countries in Africa, South America, Asia, Indonesia, Laos, Central Asia and other countries have made visible achievements from BRI. Even though Nepal is a close neighbor, due to the lack of discussion and debate about BRI and understanding it only as a project, the expected benefits and achievements have not been achieved. In order to speed it up, it is necessary to make an immediate implementation agreement and move the project forward.

China has put government-to-government relations, cooperation, assistance, grants, loans, trade, cultural cooperation, scholarship, people-level activities within the multifaceted and comprehensive concept of BRI. There are many areas from which a country like Nepal that is looking for external support and cooperation for development can benefit. Even though Nepal signed the BRI agreement in 2017, it seems that the big projects have not moved forward. However, this concept has somehow been connected to the cooperation, cooperation, observation tour, scholarship, government level programs between Nepal and China.

It is also the responsibility of this government to implement important agreements such as projects, transportation, etc., which were brought forward during the previous tenure of the government led by the current Prime Minister, the agreements made during the visit of the then President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari to China and the visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping to Nepal.

The draft BRI Implementation Agreement has many topics for public discussion. There has not been a comprehensive discussion about which of those topics should be taken forward for the national interest and which should not be taken forward. BRI is not just a project specific or subject to loans and grants. However, here it is only being discussed that if the BRI is a grant, it will be advanced and if it is a loan, it will not be increased. This discussion asks whether a multifaceted concept like BRI is understood as just one project.

Nepali Congress, the main power partner of the government, is making public its opinion that it will take the subsidy under BRI, otherwise it will not take it. And, as the date of the visit is approaching, the Prime Minister and the ministers of the government have expressed that they will not and will not take any loan agreement. Understanding this way, it seems that the government intends to advance BRI and the projects under it with grants, but not to proceed with loans. If it is to be taken only if there is a subsidy, will it be possible to implement the billion investment plans proposed by Nepal?

If Nepal does not need to borrow from anyone and can move forward only with grants, it would be fair. But if a country with an economic and geopolitical situation like ours does not take any kind of loan from one of its neighboring countries but takes a loan from other countries and donor agencies, how can it be considered in favor of the national interest? The government should also think about this.

In the present situation, for the development of the country, it is necessary to take a loan if not all the grants. We have to consider whether the terms of those loans are in our national interest or not. The criteria, conditions and methods of spending that amount should be filled in deeply. It is said that we are working on the condition that billions of money are returned to the country in the name of subsidy but in the name of consultancy and service. This also needs to be reviewed. Some of the grants are found to be based on unfair terms that hurt the nation's self-respect. Be careful about that.

Our plans should be based on national importance and the returns it will deliver. The loan should be taken with relatively low interest and long repayment period. Our debate should focus on that. Sitting at the negotiating table should be concluded keeping in mind these overall issues. The current government has the capacity for that.

BRI agreements with China during various high-level visits should be implemented after this visit. A crisis of trust arises between the two countries when agreements are made during the visit but are not implemented or are delayed. The projects implemented between Nepal and China are also being delayed. As a result, there is a negative impact on the people. Paying attention to this, the problem should be solved immediately.

Likewise, it is in the interest of Nepal to have an implementation agreement in this visit to speed up BRI and its projects. Even during this visit of the Prime Minister, if BRI does not move forward in its implementation, its future will be uncertain.

Nepal should take its relations with both its neighboring friendly countries seriously. For us, China or India are not ahead or behind any country. It is in the national interest to have equal relations with both countries. Similarly, the agenda of the visit should also be finalized on time keeping the national interests at the center. If there is no preparation at the time of the