KATHMANDU: Seeking a strategic foothold in the region, China today said it hopes Nepal becomes a "bridge" connecting the communist giant to India and South Asia Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China is pleased to see a strong relationship between India and Nepal.Noting that it is beneficial for Nepal to have a strong relationship with India, Wang said, "We hope Nepal becomes a bridge for China to connect with India and South Asia," state-run news agency reported.Wang who is here on a three-day official visit met his Nepalese counterpart Mahendra Bahadur Pandey and extended an invitation to him to visit China. He said China wants to see high level exchange of visits with Nepal to further strengthen relations, Foreign Ministry sources here said.Wang also advised Pandey to work out the visits of Nepal's President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala to China at an appropriate time.The Chinese Foreign Minister called on Yadav and Koirala and held discussion with senior leaders of major parties. During the meetings, Nepalese leaders reiterated their commitment that Nepal will not allow its soil to be used against its northern neighbour, the sources said.China also wants to see early drafting of Nepal's Constitution that could pave the way for political stability and economic prosperity in the country."China wants Nepal to draft its new Constitution at the earliest by forging consensus, so that the country could move forward on the path of economic prosperity by attaining political stability," Pandey said.Pandey quoted the Chinese Foreign Minister as saying that China wants to see a stable and prosperous Nepal as it would also be in the interest of Beijing.Wang said after his meeting with Pandey, that China always supports Nepal in its efforts to alleviate poverty, adding that Beijing would help the country get off the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) by 2022.China is ready to help Nepal improve in sectors such as trade, investment, agriculture, energy, infrastructure development, science and technology, tourism, security and law enforcement as well as human resource development, Wang said.It has raised annual aid to Nepal from 150 million yuan to 800 million yuan, according to Wang.The Chinese also donated medical equipment worth (Nepalese) Rs 200 million to the Civil Service Hospital here. The 132-bed hospital building was constructed at a cost of Rs 650 million with the help of the Chinese government.China has become one of the largest FDI contributors to Nepal.