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Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that he recently extended an invitation to Tesla CEO Elon Musk to visit Nepal.
"A short while ago, during my conversation with Mr Elon Musk, I extended an invitation for him to visit Nepal," Oli posted. https://x.com/kpsharmaoli/status/1860001064940122161 The announcement came amid growing tensions within Nepal's ruling coalition regarding the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework. Earlier on Friday, Oli announced a visit to China scheduled for December 2, during which he intends to pursue loan-based projects under the BRI framework. Speaking at a mass gathering in Kathmandu organised by his party, the Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), Oli highlighted the potential benefits of Chinese-funded projects despite Nepal's current economic challenges. "Under my leadership, a team comprising members of the government will be going to China. As a Prime Minister, I am embarking on a visit to China from 17th Mangsir (December 2) and the visit will be very successful... It's not that am going to China to roam around, it is for the benefit of the country," Oli stated. He further emphasised the importance of production-oriented development and reassured the public about the necessity of external loans. "As much as possible we don't want to take loans from anywhere; we are not in the condition that we can add on more loans but we have to increase our production. How can we increase our production? It's not something that we need to be depressed about," Oli said. However, coalition partner Nepali Congress opposed any new loans under the BRI framework, emphasising the need for China to fulfill its existing grant commitments. Nepali Congress spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat reiterated, "The Nepali Congress is not opposed to the BRI, we are simply saying that we cannot take on new loans at this time." He added, "If the grant implementation itself is lagging, what is the point of discussing loans? The debt burden is already increasing." Mahat further stressed the importance of addressing ongoing commitments. "The focus should be on implementing the grants, especially those under the BRI, and avoiding new loans," he stated during a meeting at the Federal Parliament building. (ANI)
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