With the signing of agreement/memorandum on nine points during the visit of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to China, a clear picture of the 'achievements' of the ongoing visit can be assessed.

The agreement/understanding reached after the meeting between Prime Minister Oli and his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang on Tuesday included the Tokha-Chhare tunnel, Nepal-China trade enhancement, exchange of certificates of completion of construction of Basantpur Darbar in Nautle, protocol on export of Ranga prepared meat, agreement on development plans, financial and technical assistance, cash assistance, Volunteer Chinese language teachers and communication technology between Nepal Television and China Media Group (CMG). 

With Prime Minister Oli preparing to go to China for an official visit, the topic that got a lot of discussion was the BRI implementation agreement. In the background of the signing of the BRI Memorandum of Understanding between Nepal and China on May 12, 2017, China has been taking initiatives for the implementation agreement for the last four years. But due to different views of the domestic powers regarding the BRI, it could not be signed.

Congress and UML, the two main parties of the last government, had conflicting understandings about this. The ruling coalition, which is forced to form a common vote before the visit of Prime Minister Oli, has sought consensus by forming a working group.

Rewriting the 'BRI Implementation Framework' proposed by China, Nepal sent a proposal for the 'BRI Cooperation Framework'. After that, Prime Minister Oli, who reached Beijing, had to face Chinese disinterest towards the Nepali 'framework'. But this is not a personal issue of Oli, it is the opinion of the country these days. The subject of agreement or not is not Oli's personal victory/defeat, it is Nepal's recognition. 

Even before 'BRI', there has been cultural, social and economic cooperation between Nepal and China. During this visit of Oli, various agreements/understandings have been signed. But those agreements and understandings are not entirely new.

The Chinese team has already done a preliminary study in the year 2076 on the construction of the Tokha-Chhare tunnel included in the agreement. But for five years no further progress has been made. The topic of Nepal-China trade enhancement is not new, it is unbroken.

Basantpur Palace has been rebuilt. Its exchange of certificates is only a formal matter. The agreement to export 'Cooked Buffalo Meat' to China has already been made, now the protocol has been signed. Matters like development planning, financial and technical assistance, cash assistance and related agreements/understandings are regular issues.

Volunteer Chinese language teachers have been teaching in Nepal. Tuesday's agreement is expected to make that more manageable. But this is not a topic that should be kept in the list of achievements. The old discussion of communication technology agreement between Nepal Television and China Media Group (CMG) has now been formalized.

Apart from that, during the meeting between Prime Minister Oli and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Xi has announced a grant of 500 million RMB (about nine billion rupees) to Nepal. Whether the support is big or small, this is the important achievement of this year. Nepal reiterates its old commitment to China's interests and invites visits are regular topics, which also happened during this visit.