Sagarmatha Friendship 2017

Sagarmatha Friendship 2017 was the first joint army drill between armies of Nepal and China.^[1] It was hosted in Nepal by the Nepali Army in 2017 at Kathmandu based Maharajgunj Training School.^[2] The joint drill was focused in counter insurgency and counter terrorism. The drill lasted for 10 days from 16 to 25 April 2017.^[3] The drill was inaugurated by Major General Binod Kumar Shrestha from the Nepali army and Colonel Yang Shumeng from the People's Liberation Army of China.^[4] A 22-member delegation from the Chinese special force led by Colonel Yang Shumeng had come to join the training.^[1] The initial planned size was a battalion-scale military exercises, however, due to opposition from India, the drill was scaled down.^[3]

Nepal had proposed joint military exercises during Chinese Defence Minister General Chang Wanquan’s official visit to Nepal on March 24, 2017.^[2]

The drill was concluded by Lieutenant General Baldev Raj Mahat and Major General Zhang Jiangang.^[1]