KATHMANDU, Aug 13: While expressing willingness to invest more in Nepal, China has clarified that its support to Nepal was not aimed at competing with India.
Visiting Chinese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Fu Wing clarified Monday that China had a policy to develop partnership relations with India.
“China believes that it would be in the interests of the entire [South Asia] region if China, India, Nepal and other countries moved ahead in harmony,” a statement issued by the Prime Minister´s Offices quoted Fu as saying during her meeting with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.
Fu also said China always supported Nepal´s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and lauded Nepal´s One-China policy.
(Photo: Bhashwor Ojha)
Prime Minister Bhattarai said Nepal wished a ´balanced relations´ with both China and India and eventually develop itself as a ´dynamic bridge´ between the two emerging economic superpowers. “Nepal is not in favor of unipolar world but in favor of multi-polar world,” the statement quoted Bhattarai as saying. He also reiterated that Nepal won´t allow any activities that were detrimental to the interests of any of its neighbors.
Fu arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday to take part in the Ninth Meeting of Foreign Secretary level Nepal-China Consultative Mechanism that was held on Monday morning.
Talking to the media after the meeting with the prime minister, Fu said the main purpose of her visit was to review the implementation status of various agreements reached with Nepal during a brief visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in January. “We held discussions on promoting and expanding cooperation between Nepal and China in areas of trade, investment, economic cooperation, people to people and student to student cooperation,” she said.
During the Consultative Mechanism meeting, the two sides discussed seven agendas including Chinese investment in infrastructure development projects. The issue of extradition treaty, custom tariff reduction and the possibility of extending Chinese railway network to Nepal were also discussed during the meeting.
According to a participant at the meeting, Chinese delegation enquired why there were protests against Chinese investment in Nepal. The Nepalese side assured the Chinese delegation that although there were some such reports in media, both the Nepali government and the Nepali people were not against Chinese investment in the country.
“Chinese side reiterated its commitments that China would continue to consolidate traditional friendship with Nepal and expand cooperation in various fields,” said a MoFA statement.
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