Beijing: China and Nepal have decided to build the so-called Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network, the Chinese foreign ministry said, following a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries. They also guaranteed $118 million in assistance to Nepal to invest in various projects this year after Nepal foreign minister Narayan Khadka held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to further strengthen the bilateral ties.
As part of the agreement, Wang said China would finance the viability study of a China-Nepal cross-border railway and send experts to Nepal to conduct surveys this year, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the foreign ministry, said in Beijing. The network, under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, will involve the building of railways and communication networks. During a landmark visit by President Xi Jinping to Nepal in 2019, China and Nepal elevated their relationship to a “strategic partnership”.
Khadka, who is on an official visit to China, met Wang in the Chinese city of Qingdao. “The two foreign ministers took stock of overall aspects of Nepal-China relations and agreed to promote further cooperation in various sectors, including trade, connectivity, investment, health, tourism, poverty alleviation, agriculture, disaster management, education, culture, and people-to-people exchange, among others,” the Nepalese foreign ministry said in a statement.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over the progress made in a series of matters of bilateral cooperation since the official visit of Wang to Nepal in March this year. Wang also announced 3 million RMB worth disaster relief materials as per Nepal’s request. Khadka during the meeting also reiterated Nepal’s unwavering commitment to the one-China Policy and assured that the Nepali territory would not be allowed to be used for any anti-China activity, according to the statement.
