Kathmandu - China will bar the entry of foreigners via the only land border crossing with Nepal due to security concerns, local media reported Tuesday.
The Kantipur daily reported that the month-long prohibition would come into effect on July 25.
The clampdown was announced as China celebrated the anniversary of the Communist Party of China and ahead of the upcoming visit of Vice President Xi Jingping to Tibet the same week that the border crossing ban comes into force.
On Sunday, the Beijing Intelligence Bureau and Lhasa Security Bureau held talks with Nepal border authorities.
'The Chinese side has never sounded as serious regarding border security,' the Kantipur daily quoted Bijay Poudel, the Nepali head of immigration at the Tatopani border crossing, as saying.
About 400 tourists travel from Nepal to China via the Tatopani border crossing every day, according to immigration authorities.
In Kathmandu, the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yang Houlan held talks with politicians, asking them to prevent any anti-China activity in Nepal.
Nepal regularly witnesses protests against China by Tibetan exiles, which often end in arrests. Last week, Nepali police prevented Tibetan exiles from celebrating the birthday of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
Nepal is home to about 20,000 Tibetan refugees, according to government statistics. But thousands more live there as undocumented migrants.
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