US assistant secretary Donald Lu arriving Nepal tomorrow

13th Jul 2023

Donald Lu, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, is set to arrive in Kathmandu on a day-long visit on July 14, Friday (tomorrow), according to an announcement by the Embassy of the United States of America. This visit is part of Lu’s tour of South Asian nations, including India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, aimed at strengthening regional partnerships.

According to foreign ministry officials, Lu is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Foreign Minister NP Saud among other senior officials. Additionally, the US Assistant Secretary of State will engage with members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Nepal to gain insights into their efforts in providing unique skills to Nepalis, enabling them to compete on a global scale.

This will be Donald Lu’s third visit to Nepal. He first came to Nepal in 2021 when the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), was in the process of being ratified by the House of Representatives. His second visit came in 2022 at a time when the US was pushing Nepal to take part in the State Partnership Program. The government had decided to withdraw from the project after a draft of the agreement leaked by the media exposed the possibility of the US troops staying in Nepal for an indefinite period, inviting criticism from stakeholders.

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu is a career diplomat who began his government career as a member of the Peace Corps before joining the foreign service in 1990. Since then, he has served as Ambassador to Albania (2015-2018) and as Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan (2018-2021).

President Joe Biden later nominated him as Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, on April 23, 2021.

As the head of the Bureau, Lu will oversee U.S. foreign policy and relations in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Envoy Lu is fluent in numerous languages, including Chinese, Hindi, Russian, and more.