HONK KONG, June 1: Non-Resident Nepalis (NRN) Association in China has demanded that the government open Consulate General´s Office (CGO) in Guangzhou, a trading hub where the number of Nepalis has soared sharply in recent years.

The association has been pushing for the establishment of the office since last year.

NRN officials said that it was necessary to open Nepal´s consulate in Guangzhou as the number of Nepalis in and around this trading hub is increasing mainly after Nepalis residing in Kunming and Honk Kong started to shift here.

Sundar Thapa, newly elected president of NRN China Chapter, said the association was also pushing for the operation of direct flights between Kathmandu and Guangzhou, preferably by Nepal Airlines Corporation.

Traders, students and other Nepalis residing in Guangzhou need to travel to Beijing for official formalities in the absence of Nepali consulate in Guanzhou. Consular General´s Office at Hong Kong, which is close to Guangzhou, looks after Hong Kong and Macau.

Embassy of Nepal based in Beijing had also proposed to the government to open four new consulates in different cities including Guangzhou. The embassy had also proposed that the government open tourism information centers in these places at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the second general assembly of NRN China Chapter elected 23-member working committee led by Thapa.

The committee includes Rajan Jamarkattel as senior vice-president, Nabin BK and Sanjay Kumar Khetani as vice-presidents, Sudesh Kumar Jha as general secretary, Pradeep Neupane as secretary and Raj Shrestha and treasurer. It also elected Ranjan Dhakal as representative of NRN International Coordination Council from China