KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is returning home today after completing his official visit to China.

He had traveled to Tianjin on August 31, leading a 23-member Nepali delegation, at the friendly invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit.

During his stay, PM Oli traveled from Tianjin to Beijing by train.He held talks with President Xi in Tianjin and addressed the SCO Summit.

Nepal has been a dialogue partner of the SCO since 2016. Established in 2001, the SCO has grown into one of the world’s largest regional organizations, with full members including China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus.

On the sidelines of the summit, PM Oli met several world leaders. On Tuesday in Beijing, he held talks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

He also met separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh among others.

During the trip, PM Oli only had a brief interaction with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a reception ceremony.

Accompanying PM Oli are his wife Radhika Shakya, Education, Science and Technology Minister Raghuji Panta, Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Badri Prasad Pandey, Nepali Congress lawmaker Purna Bahadur Khadka, PM’s economic and development advisor Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, UML lawmaker Chhabilal Bishwakarma, and other senior government officials.