Nepal Rounds Up Tibetans As It Welcomes Xi

Nepal rolled out the red carpet on Saturday for President Xi Jinping but rounded up Tibetans to prevent protests during the first state visit by a Chinese leader in 23 years.

Xi landed following two days of talks in neighboring India, and is expected to use his time in Kathmandu to push Beijing's controversial Belt and Road infrastructure projects.

Although India has traditionally been Nepal's main ally, China has intensified its presence in the impoverished Himalayan nation, pumping millions of dollars into projects ranging from roads to hydropower plants.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari received him at Kathmandu airport to the sounds of the two countries' national anthems, played by an army band.

The official Xinhua news agency reported early on Sunday that, after arriving, Xi said he expected "to upgrade China-Nepal relations, enhance connectivity between the two countries and deliver more benefits" to their peoples.

The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), a Washington-based pressure group, said at least 18 people were arrested in the days ahead of Xi's arrival. These included two Nepali shopkeepers selling bags with Tibetan flags or slogans. Fourteen remained in detention on Saturday.

Nepal is home to around 20,000 exiled Tibetans, but under pressure from Beijing the communist government has taken an increasingly hard-line stance on their activities.

"There is heavy police presence. It is an intimidating situation. We've been asked to stay in," one Tibetan said, speaking on condition of anonymity. (AFP)