Nepal‚ China to work in nine core areas
Added At: 2014-12-26 11:18 PM
Last Updated At: 2014-12-26 11:18 PM
LEKHANATH PANDEY
KATHMANDU: Nepal and China today agreed to enhance cooperation in nine vital areas, including energy, security, infrastructure development and connectivity.
Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi also decided to activate all bilateral mechanisms, as the two neighbours are celebrating the diamond jubilee of diplomatic relations next year.
Pandey said the two sides would celebrate the special year with exchange of high-level visits. Sources said Chinese side had hinted on early visit of President Xi Jinping to Nepal. However, the date of the visit was not disclosed.
China sought Nepal’s firm commitment on cracking down on Tibetans who try to cross Nepal border damaging Chinese interest in Tibet Autonomous Region, added the sources.
“We have some common security concerns. For instance, we need to crack down on illegal border crossing and transnational crimes,” Wang said in a joint press conference after bilateral talks with Pandey.
Wang announced a grant assistance of RMB 800 million (approximately Rs 13 billion) to Nepal for the next fiscal. It is a four-fold increase in China’s assistance to Nepal last year.
According to Wang, the nine areas of cooperation are trade, investment, agriculture, infrastructure, science and technology, connectivity, people to people and cultural exchanges, tourism and security law enforcement.
Wang assured Pandey of China’s necessary funding, technical support and training to human resources of Nepal and said Beijing would encourage Chinese provinces and autonomous regions, including TAR, to further enhance their engagement and cooperation with Nepal to achieve progress in these nine areas of cooperation.
He expressed Beijing’s readiness to invest in Nepal’s hydropower sector, saying China has the technology, equipment and construction and management experience of handling major hydropower projects.
Nepali side is learnt to have asked China to build a major hydel project as a gift to address severe power shortage in the country.
Wang said China wanted Nepal to develop good relations with both its neighbours. “In this way, Nepal can serve as a bridge and bond between China and India.”
He said Nepal could actually be a bridge between China and the entire South Asia. “We’ll also like to discuss and explore the possibilities of such cooperation between India, Nepal and China in tripartite way.”
He dismissed the suggestion that China was competing with India in Nepal, stating that China wished Nepal’s relations with India got stronger.
Talking to THT, Pandey said the two sides also explored possible ways of mutual cooperation under the framework of Silk Road Economic Belt to enhance regional connectivity, trade, tourism and economic activities.
Along with Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam, Wang laid the foundation stone for the China-funded Armed Police Force Academy building — built at a cost of Rs 3 billion — amidst a function in APF Headquarters in Halchowk and handed over medical equipment worth Rs 200 million to Civil Service Hospital that was built with Chinese support.
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