A high-level Chinese delegation, led by standing committee member of the Chinese Communist Party Zhou Yongkang, wrapped up a three day visit to Nepal on Thursday and proposed cooperation between the two countries in five different areas.
The delegation met senior Nepali officials to discuss the political situation and signed four bilateral agreements during its stay.
At a press conference in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening, China's Assistant Minister for International Development Yang Yani said, “The two sides agreed that entering the first decade of the 21st century, China and Nepal should work hard to add vigour and substance to their good neighbourly relations.”
China has proposed cooperation by promotion of “high-level visits between both countries”, and cooperation in “trade and investment, agriculture, transportation, information technology, infrastructure development, hydropower construction and poverty alleviation”.
China has also suggested greater cooperation in “security, education, human resource development, tourism and cultural exchanges”.
The proposal includes broadening of ties between the CCP and Nepali political parties, while the fifth element relates to “closer coordination and cooperation on major global issues like global financial crisis, climate change, energy, food security, security and SAARC”.
During the visit, China agreed to provide soft loans and grants for construction of hydropower transmission lines, security equipment for Nepal Police, and for implementation of other mutually agreed development projects as a part of economic and technical cooperation between the two countries.
In bilateral meetings with the Chinese delegates, all Nepali leaders — including President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, caretaker Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda' and Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala — reiterated Nepal's firm commitment to the “one China policy”. Mr. Zhou was reported to have stressed the need for “peace and stability”, and hoped for a “successful conclusion of transition period” in Nepal.
