Nepal seeks reset with China

Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Nepalese counterpart Shisir Khanal held "comprehensive talks" covering the entire gamut of bilateral ties.Khanal arrived in Beijing on a four-day visit on June 14 after his weeklong trip to India.Also Read: Nepal's foreign minister visits China after calling on regional rival IndiaAfter he met with Wang, Khanal said in a post on X, "We held a comprehensive discussion on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including in the areas of connectivity, border management, trade, technology transfer and multilateral cooperation.""We also exchanged views on expanding people-to-people ties and reaffirmed shared commitment to further strengthening Nepal-China relations for the mutual benefit of our two countries," he said.Wang told Khanal that China has always placed its relations with Nepal in an important position in its neighbourhood diplomacy and pursues a friendly policy toward all Nepali people.China will, as always, support Nepal in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and in exploring a development path suited to its own national conditions, Wang said, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Monday.Khanal's visit to Beijing is regarded as significant as both countries were expected to reset the relations after this year's massive victory of the new Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), ending the prolonged rule of leaders of Nepal's Communist parties, K P Sharma Oli and Prachanda, who sought to move Kathmandu closer to Beijing, away from India.Also Read: India, Nepal launch cross-border remittance mechanism; links UPI, NPIThe RSP's victory in the general elections marked an end to the dominance of the communist parties, which gained political prominence after the abolition of the monarchy in Nepal in 2008.Both Prachanda and Oli, who became Prime Ministers thrice each since 2008, advocated closer political and economic ties with China, played a central role in helping Beijing to advance its influence in Nepal with measures like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).China is willing to work with Nepal to jointly advance the high-quality 'Belt and Road cooperation', focus on collaboration in power grids, highways, border ports and aviation, and help Nepal transform from a land-locked country into a land-linked country, Wang said.He called on both sides to fully utilise various cooperation platforms and mechanisms, deepen practical cooperation, and promote cultural exchanges.China encourages Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Nepal, and hopes that the Nepali side will provide a more equitable and transparent business environment, he added.Khanal expressed gratitude for China's long-standing support for Nepal's national development and improvement of people's livelihoods, noting that China has always treated Nepal as an equal and respected its sovereignty and independence, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.Nepal remains firmly committed to the one-China policy, supports China's efforts to achieve complete reunification, and will never allow any forces to use Nepal's territory to undermine China's interests, Khanal said.Xinhua report quoted Khanal as saying that China's development presents opportunities for Nepal.Nepal welcomes investment from China and is willing to provide Chinese enterprises with a fair, law-based, and friendly business environment.Reports in the Nepalese media on the Khanal-Wang Meeting said Khanal had proposed the development of four corridors connecting the northern border to mid-Nepal, which also includes the trans-Himalayan railway.He sought air routes from western Nepal near Hilsa in Humla district, Kathmandu Post reported.Khanal, aware of China's political and security concerns following last year's Gen Z movement, assured the Chinese leaders in Beijing that Nepal is committed to improving its relations with China and tried to dispel the notion that the government in Kathmandu is increasingly tilting towards the West.The Chinese Foreign Minister and other officials, during their meetings with Khanal, had raised concerns over Western influence in Nepal, mostly about the USD 500 million American Millennium Challenge Corporation and State Partnership Programme, MCC-Compact.Nepal's Leftist political parties, especially the pro-China Communist Party of Nepal (UIML), headed by former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, opposed the pact, saying it was not in the national interest and that it was meant for countering China.Nepal and the US signed the MCC agreement in 2017 - meant for building Nepal's infrastructure, such as electric transmission lines and improvement of national highways.China was also concerned about the corruption case filed against a Chinese in the Pokhara International Airport project.In response, Khanal told Wang that the competent authority of Nepal has registered the case in court, and it has nothing to do with the government, the Post report said. ...