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The venue for the first national convention of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has been changed.

Earlier, it was scheduled to be held at Hotel Star, Ratnanagar. 

The party has now decided to hold its first national convention in Bharatpur from June 21-23. 

RSP central committee member and Coordinator of Accommodation and Food Management Committee, Rajan Gautam, shared that the inaugural ceremony of the convention would be held at Guesthouse Ground of Bharatpur while closed session would take place at Industrial Exhibition Centre of the Chitwan Association of Industries. 

He mentioned that they have decided to change the venue as per the instruction of RSP Central Chairperson as well as keeping the possibility of extreme heat and rainfall in mind.

The RSP has expected around 50,000 people in the inaugural session. 

Chiefs of national-level political parties, representatives from neighbouring countries have been invited to the inaugural session. 

Around 3,000 representatives would participate in the closed session.

House of Representatives (HoR) members have urged the government to be sensitive on border issues and bilateral relations. 

In a meeting of the Lower House today, they demanded time to draw the government's attention towards this end. 

Nepali Communist Party's Pramesh Kumar Hamal expressed his concern over Prime Minister Balendra Shah's statement on Nepal-India border in the HoR meeting on May 31, demanding removal of his remarks from the Parliament archive. 

Stating that Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal is presently on an official visit to China, he questioned whether the Ministry talked about the tri-junction issues with the Chinese side. 

He also took time to draw the government's attention to reports that Indian security forces entered Nepali territory in Susta; a helicopter crossed the border in Darchula without permission and exports of Nepali tea towards India were obstructed. 

Rekha Kumar Yadav of the Nepali Congress demanded that Prime Minister Shah make the House clear about his May 31 remarks on border issues. 

Similarly, CPN-UML lawmaker Tuka Bhadra Hamal also sought deletion of the Prime Minister's statement on border issue from the Parliament records. 

Stating that none and nothing is above nationality, she urged the government to focus on the protection of Nepali territory and autonomy. 

Harkaraj Rai of the Shram Sanskriti Party apprised the House that a barrage constructed by the Indian side along the Nepal-India border in Rautahat had caused inundation there. Rai wanted the government to address the issues sensitively. 

He also stressed that locals deprived of land ownership certificates for long in some areas of Rajbiraj should be the concern of the authorities. 

Rastriya Prajatantra Party's Saraswoti Lama urged the government to be sensitive on the matters of nationality and territorial integrity, demanding the withdrawal of the Prime Minister's May 31 remarks and its subsequent removal from the parliamentary records.

For the first time since the formation of the new government led by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Nepal and China have held bilateral talks at the foreign minister level.

The talks come at a time when Beijing remains skeptical about its security and strategic interests in Nepal, particularly following last year’s GenZ movement. Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, held bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing, focusing heavily on China’s core concerns alongside a wide range of other issues.

Khanal’s dialogue with the Chinese foreign minister follows his recent visit to India and a series of high-level visits from the United States to Nepal. A primary reason behind Beijing's invitation to Khanal was to secure firm assurances from the new government regarding China's core security and strategic anxieties.

According to The China Daily, Khanal reiterated Nepal's long-standing diplomatic positions during the meetings:

"Issues related to the Taiwan question and Xizang (Tibet) are China's internal affairs," Khanal stated, adding that Nepal firmly adheres to the One-China policy, supports China's complete reunification, and will never allow any force to use Nepali territory to undermine China's interests.

Meanwhile, The Kathmandu Post reported that the Chinese side expressed explicit concerns to Khanal regarding certain US initiatives, including the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the State Partnership Program (SPP). 

With the formation of the new RSP-led government, Beijing is closely monitoring the evolving relationship between Nepal and Western countries. Chinese foreign policy observers note that Beijing remains highly sensitive to Western strategic projects and potential security cooperation in the region—agendas that consistently dominate the table whenever Kathmandu and Beijing sit down for bilateral talks.

During the meetings, the Chinese side sought a more conducive and fair business environment for Chinese investors in Nepal. For a long time, Beijing has complained that Chinese companies face persistent regulatory roadblocks and bureaucratic hurdles in the country.

The implementation of past pacts was another dominant theme. In Chinese diplomacy, whenever President Xi Jinping visits a country and signs an agreement, its execution stands as a top priority. Just as in previous engagements, Beijing placed heavy emphasis on executing the wide-ranging agreements signed during President Xi’s historic 2019 visit to Nepal, which originally elevated bilateral ties into a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Regarding the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), while the two sides discussed the matter, no tangible breakthroughs or specific outcomes were highlighted in their official press releases.

 Last year, the two countries signed a framework agreement on the BRI, identifying 10 priority projects, but detailed discussions on these projects appeared limited during this visit. 

The Rastriya Swatantra Party and its government have largely maintained a quiet stance on their official position regarding the initiative. Previously, Nepal's traditional political parties had communicated to Beijing that the country strongly prefers grants over loans when finalizing investment modalities.

Beyond these strategic hurdles, the two sides engaged in an expansive dialogue aimed at practical, long-term economic cooperation. Currently, Nepal and China are actively cooperating in several core sectors:

·       Infrastructure and connectivity

·       Border management and energy

·       Trade and investment

·       Agriculture and technology transfer

·       Digitalization and tourism

Furthermore, China has proposed expanding this cooperation into new frontiers, including chemical fertilizer supply, petroleum and natural gas exploration, and artificial intelligence—areas in which both sides have now intensively engaged.

While in Beijing, Khanal also met with Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to discuss party-to-party cooperation.

According to the Chinese readout, the CPC expressed a strong willingness to consolidate ties with the RSP, deepen strategic communication, enhance political mutual trust, and share governance experiences. The readout noted that China aims to utilize its "Party+" channel to promote cross-field cooperation and contribute political party strength to the broader China-Nepal relationship. In response, Khanal stated that the RSP is eager to learn from China's extensive experience in the party-building and governance processes.

Amidst disputes within the ruling party lawmakers and protest of the opposition parties, Sudurpaschim Province government presented the budget for the fiscal year, 2083/84 delaying significant hours- at 11:45pm on Monday. 

Asar 1 (this time Monday, June 15) is the constitutionally stipulated date the provincial government brings to the annual budget. 

Minister for Economic Affairs in Sudurpaschim Province, Bikram Singh Dhami, presented the budget of Rs 37.70 billion. 

As per the estimates of annual revenue and expenditure, the Province government is planning to collect Rs 1.72 billion through internal revenue mobilization, while revenue sharing among the government will make up Rs 10.24 billion.

Similarly, from royalty, it has estimated collection of Rs 70 million, Rs 9.6 billion from fiscal equalization grant, Rs 9.62 billion from saving/unused amount from allocation of current fiscal year, Rs 6.3 billion from conditional grants, Rs 383 million from supplementary grant and Rs 526 million from special grants. 

As soon as the Province Assembly meeting began, Province Assembly members stood up in protest. 

Once Speaker Bhim Bahadur Bhandari allowed time, Assembly member Man Bahadur Dhami accused the government of being helpless for its failure to bring the budget on time. 

Then the opposition parties' lawmakers exited the hall in protest.