China-Nepal Cooperation: News & Updates

[ahojunk]

China welcomes Nepal to join Belt and Road initiative

China welcomes Nepal to join Belt and Road initiative
2015-03-29 09:02 Xinhua Web Editor: Si Huan

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, March 28, 2015. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav during the 2015 Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in South China's Hainan Province on Saturday, welcoming Nepal to participate in the Belt and Road cooperation.

Welcoming Yadav to the annual conference, Xi said China-Nepal relationship is a model of peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between big and small countries.

We cherish the traditional friendship with Nepal, said Xi, adding that China is willing to be Nepal's good friend of mutual respect and mutual support, good partner of common development and common prosperity and good neighbor of mutual assistance in security.

As this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Nepal diplomatic ties, Xi called on the two sides to be well prepared for a series of commemorative activities.

He suggested the two countries should strengthen cooperation in traffic inter-connectivity, infrastructure, hydro-power development, modernization of agriculture, science and technology.

China is willing to initiate the negotiations on Free Trade Agreement with Nepal at an early date, he said, also calling on the two sides to enhance law-enforcement and security cooperation.

China appreciates Nepal's firm support on issues concerning China's core interests, including issues related to Tibet and Taiwan, said the president.

China will continue to support Nepal's effort in safeguarding independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, he added.

Xi voiced the hope that Nepal would not allow any forces to use Nepal's territory to engage in anti-China separatist activities.

He also called on the two sides to beef up cooperation in the areas of youth exchanges and tourism and enhance coordination on multilateral occasions to safeguard their common interests.

Yadav said Nepal would never allow its territory to be used by any anti-China activities.

Nepal supports China's initiatives of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road as well as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), said Yadav.

Nepal calls for strengthened cooperation between the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and China, in a bid to promote regional inter-connectivity and economic development, he said.

Nepal appreciates China's important and positive role in international affairs and hopes to enhance cooperation with China, he added.

 

[TaiShang]

Xi announces Rs 14b in new aid

• Money to be used to upgrade Araniko Highway, build transport infrastructure

- NIRMAL SHRESTHA

HONG KONG, MAR 29 - Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a 900 million RMB (Rs14.5 billion) economic package to Nepal during a meeting with President Ram Baran Yadav at Boao of Hainan province in China on Saturday.

The assistance will be used to upgrade the 115-km Araniko Highway that links Nepal with China, and to develop the transport infrastructure.

The aid was announced during a bilateral meeting of President Yadav and his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference. The meeting was held at the State Guesthouse for about half an hour. The meeting is the first between the heads of state of the two countries after Nepal was declared a republic in 2008.

The aid is on top of the annual Chinese assistance to Nepal that was recently increased from 150m RMB to 800m RMB (approximately Rs13 billion).

During the bilateral meeting, the Chinese government also announced 1,500 training slots for Nepalis in technical and non-technical sectors over the next five years.

Acting Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi said President Yadav also reminded Xi about his invitation to visit Nepal. “The Chinese President said he would visit Nepal at a convenient time in future. Xi expressed his concerns for timely constitution in Nepal,” he added.

According to Nepali Ambassador to China Mahesh Maskey, Xi assured Chinese support for economic and social development of Nepal. “China is ready to provide technical assistance for the development of agricultural in Nepal,” he said.

President Yadav addressed the conference on Saturday morning. He said that the Forum had a crucial role of bringing Asian nations closer. He invited investments in infrastructure development, hydropower, agriculture, tourism and information technology in Nepal. President Yadav also met Austrian President Heinz Fischer and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on the sidelines.

 

[JSCh]

China vows support in development of Buddha's birthplace in Nepal
Source:Xinhua Published: 2015-4-6 11:30:39

A Chinese official has expressed readiness to provide China's support in the development of Gautam Buddha's birthplace, Lumbini, during a meeting with Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav.

Wang Zuoan, director of China's State Administration for Religious Affairs, made the remarks when he called on the Nepalese president on Sunday.

On the occasion, Yadav thanked the Chinese government and the people for their continued support in Nepal's socio-economic development, an official at the President's Office told Xinhua.

In a separate meeting between Wang and Nepal's Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Deepak Chandra Amatya on Sunday, the two discussed Nepal-China cooperation in the culture sector, an official at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, told Xinhua.

Wang, who arrived in the Nepalese capital on Sunday for a three- day visit, toured Lumbini on the same day and he is expected to offer donations to the local people on Monday.

*****
Donations is expected? Like offering?
Anyway, this would be good for Nepal tourism.

 

[TaiShang]

China to help Nepal build border inspection station
(Xinhua) 11:35, April 11, 2015

China has agreed to help Nepal to build a border inspectionstation in Rasuwagadi of Rasuwa District, the Nepalese Ministry of Finance said on Friday.

According to the ministry, the project, which covers 6,900 square meters, will include theconstruction of an inspection building, an accommodation building, a cargo warehouse and aparking lot, a flood protection levee as well as office and inspection equipment.

Nepalese Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Suman Prasad Sharma and ChineseAmbassador Wu Chuntai signed the document.

Meanwhile, China has also agreed to provide technical assistance to support Nepal's long-term Agricultural Development Plan, the ministry said.

"Chinese experts would also carry out hybrid rice variety experimental research anddemonstrate the products suitable for Nepalese land," it said.

 

[JSCh]

China-constructed buildings withstand strong quakes in Nepal

English.news.cn 2015-05-02 18:52:42


KATHMANDU, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of historic and civilian buildings were ruined when a 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on April 25. But local people have discovered that all buildings funded and constructed by China in the capital of Kathmandu remain nearly undamaged.

So far China has financed and built three major projects for Nepal in Kathmandu -- a hospital for civil servants, a training center for traditional medicine and a research center for nature conservation.

All of them have remained almost completely intact after the quake, with only minor damages to surfaces or several insignificant parts of the buildings, said Zeng Huacheng, vice director of the Department of Outward Investment and Economic Cooperation under China's Ministry of Commerce, in an interview with media this week.

What's more, the Kathmandu Stadium, which China helped Nepal repair and maintain, has also withstood the powerful and devastating quakes all these days, only sustaining minor damages to its main gate, entrance and stands, Zeng said.

The same applied to a China-built technical school in another Nepalese city during the historic destructive quakes, he said, adding that the Nepalese side has expressed satisfaction and appreciation to China for the good quality of the aid projects.

Zeng attributed the resilience of the buildings that were funded and constructed by China to high standards for seismic-resistance, smart designs adapted to local conditions and a strong sense of responsibility on the Chinese part.

*****
It sound like those buildings are fairly new, and given Nepal is known earth-quake risk region, they were probably built with modern earth quake resistance.

Good thinking ahead!!

The stadium could also be useful to serve disaster relief function. It is wise to make them tough.

 

[beijingwalker]

UN official praises China's assistance to Nepal after quake

BEIJING (AP) — The leader of the U.N. Development Program on Monday praised China's relief efforts in Nepal and said the country's importance to global development will only grow.

Helen Clark, the UNDP administrator, met with Premier Li Keqiang and commerce, economic planning and foreign ministry officials on Monday. On Tuesday she will meet with environment officials.

Clark said China had been "a very good neighbor" in assisting Nepal after the April 25 earthquake. Beijing has sent more than 200 military staff, 10 plane loads of tents, blankets and other supplies along with helicopter support. The defense ministry said last week they had moved 45,000 people to safety and made emergency repairs on more than 53 kilometers (33 miles) of roads damaged by the quake.

The former New Zealand prime minister said she was mindful that China had experienced serious earthquake disasters in recent years, and that China had learned from them, fine-tuned its response mechanisms and was willing to share its experience.

"China's importance in global development will only grow," she said, adding that the proposed Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was one example and would be welcomed by developing countries.

"This bank, as we would say in New Zealand, is a goer," she said.
UN official praises China's assistance to Nepal after quake - Yahoo News

 

[Shotgunner51]

KATHMANDU, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China's Blue Sky Rescue Team on Sunday wound up its mission in earthquake-stricken Nepal, leaving Nepalese capital of Kathmandu and heading back home.

As a non-governmental rescue organization, the Blue Sky Rescue Team arrived at Kathmandu on April 27, two days after the 7.9- magnitude quake struck Nepal and caused massive casualties and devastation. The 83 volunteers of the team, who paid for their own air tickets, brought with them rescue equipment and supplies.

The team's primary tasks were search and rescue, information screening, medical assistance, water supply as well as epidemic prevention, team leader Zhang Yong told Xinhua prior to their departure to China.

During its 12-day stay in Nepal, the team found 24 bodies, provided assistance to 2,320 people, and conducted epidemic prevention disinfection for over 20,000 people, Zhang said, adding that they also provided water purification equipment as well as rescue training to the Nepalese side.

During the period, numerous Chinese organizations, companies in Nepal and overseas Chinese provided logistic support to the team for free. For example, Gezhouba Group's Nepal division provided vehicles; restaurants of overseas Chinese offered food and accommodation; overseas Chinese volunteers served as the team's interpreters and guides.

Shaligram Sharma, deputy superintendent of Nepalese police was among those who attended the farewell party for the team. Sharma told Xinhua that after the strong quake struck, a lot of foreign rescue teams came to Nepal to provide assistance for free, which is beyond his expectation.

Sharma thanked all the Chinese rescue teams that came to Nepal for the selfless contribution they made to the Nepalese people.

Aside from rescue teams sent by the Chinese government, at least five Chinese civil rescue teams came to Nepal to offer a helping hand, Xinhua has learned.

China's Blue Sky Rescue Team conducts rescue work in the township of Sankhu, near the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, April 30, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese soldiers dispatched to Nepal for highway repair
2015-08-02

LHASA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- An emergency squad of Chinese armed police officers were sent to Nepal on Saturday to repair a highway blocked by landslide.

Upon receiving an emergency aid request from the Nepalese government, China's State Council and Central Military Commission decided to dispatch 100 armed police officers for the China-Nepal Highway repair.

They entered Nepal on Saturday morning through the Zham port on the Nepal-China border.

Chinese armed police had taken part in the Nepal mega-quake relief in April and May.

The squad will be faced with difficulty and danger as the Nepalese part of the highway is severely damaged by days of downpour, which may continue for another 20 days, said Fu Ling, commander in chief of the Chinese armed police traffic relief commandos.

The 943-km China-Nepal Highway connects Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China, with the Nepalese capital of Katmandu. It was put into use in July 1965.

Saturday also marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Nepal diplomatic ties.

 

[JSCh]

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese armed police clear China-Nepal Highway blockage
2015-08-06

Rescuers work at the Nepalese section of China-Nepal Highway where the landslide happened, Aug. 5, 2015.

Rescuers work at the Nepalese section of China-Nepal Highway where the landslide happened, Aug. 5, 2015. An emergency squad of 100 Chinese armed police officers were sent to Nepal on Saturday to repair a highway blocked by landslide. Rescuers have completed the repairs of 30 km as of 10 a.m. on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Wang Wei)

Chinese armed police officers sent to Nepal on Saturday have cleared more than 30 km of a 37-km stretch of the China-Nepal Highway blocked by a rain-triggered landslide.

The Nepalese part of the highway is 114 km long and was ravaged by days of heavy rain. The Nepalese Army said on Saturday that a joint team from the two countries would clear the blocked Tatopani-Khadichaur stretch of the highway within 20 days.

Upon receiving an emergency aid request from the Nepalese government, China's State Council and Central Military Commission decided to dispatch 100 armed police officers.

The 943-km China-Nepal Highway connects Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China, with the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu. It was put into use in July 1965.

Chinese armed police also took part in the relief operation after the massive earthquake hit Nepal in April.

 

[TaiShang]

Nepal, China agree to establish three additional trading points
2015-08-22

KATHMANDU, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Nepal and China on Saturday agreed to establish three additional trading points in view of boosting trade between the two countries.

The two countries reached an agreement in this regard during the sixth meeting of China's Tibet and Nepal Trade Facilitation Committee in Kathmandu, Nepal's Ministry of Commerce and Supplies said in a press statement on Saturday.

As per the deal, the two sides will carry out a feasibility study soon in a bid to establish three new trading points in Gorkha, Dolakha and Mugu, which are Nepal's bordering districts with China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

The proposed border points between the two countries are Chhekampar and Larke areas of Gorkha District, Lamabagar area of Dolakha District and Mugu District on the Nepali side.

"Six trading points -- Olangchugola, Kimathanka, Tatopani, Rasuwagadhi, Mustang and Yari -- were opened between the two countries in the past. Now we have decided to establish three new trading points," Joint Secretary at the Nepal's Ministry of Commerce Jibaraj Koirala who led the Nepali delegation in the meeting told Xinhua.

The two-day meeting also decided to accelerate renovation of Nepal-China customs points -- Khasa and Rashuwagadhi -- which were devastated by April 25 earthquake and ensuing aftershocks.

At the meeting, the Chinese side expressed readiness to complete the construction of Larcha Dry port at the earliest as per the agreement reached between the two countries.

Reiterating China's commitment in Nepal's rebuilding process, head of the 10-member Chinese delegation assured the Nepali officials that China would continue to provide assistance to Nepal.

Koirala expressed gratitude to the Chinese side for helping the country reopen the Araniko highway, which links the two nations but was blocked due to the landslides triggered deadly earthquakes.

The next meeting of the Nepal-Tibet Trade Facilitation Committee will be held in Tibet in 2016, officials said.

 

[TaiShang]

China Foundation to help Nepal in reconstruction bid

Aug 13, 2015- The Society Welfare Council and China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation on Thursday signed an agreement for expediting initiatives in Nepal's reconstruction and rehabilitation in the aftermath of the 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake, which struck the country on April 25.

The non-governmental organisation has pledged to use at least US $ 100,000 in multi sectors to help Nepal with its reconstruction. The agreement paper was signed by China Foundation's Wang Chin Jui and Council's Member Secretary Rabindra Kumar.

The Foundation will bring a clear proposal for support programmes in Nepal's reconstruction within the next three years which will in turn be advanced in line with Nepal government's policy, said Member Secretary Rabindra Kumar.

He added that the China Foundation was given approval after the agreement to work in Nepal.

 

[TaiShang]

Nepal looks to China for trade amid India hiccups
Posted on: 08:12 AM IST Sep 26, 2015

Kathmandu: Nepal has urged China to reopen the two trading points on the Sino-Nepal border at the earliest amid problems along the border with India, media reports said on Friday.

Amid a diplomatic standoff with New Delhi over Nepal's new constitution and continuous unrest in the country's southern border with India, Kathmandu is now mulling an alternative to do business with China.

India and China are landlocked Nepal's two giant neighbours.

Nepal is surrounded by India from three sides and China on the north. Nepal's over 90% trade and economic activities are with India as nationals from both sides do not need visa to travel to each other's country.

According to Nepali media reports on Friday, with the supply of essential commodities being hit by disturbances at major custom points in the southern plains, the government has urged Beijing to reopen trade routes that have remained out of operation following the April 25 earthquake.

Officials from the ministry of commerce and supplies of Nepal held talks with Chinese embassy officials here on Wednesday and Thursday.

They requested Chinese assistance for an early reopening of custom points at Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi, two key trading points between Nepal and China.

"With major festivals like Diwali and Dussehra around the corner, we have requested China to resume border operation as soon as possible," said Naindra Prasad Upadhyaya, secretary at the ministry.

He added that the Chinese authorities had responded positively.

The Rasuwagadhi route came into formal operation in December 2014. Since the April earthquake, the trade routes of Barabise-Tatopani-Khasa and Nuwakot-Rasuwagadhi-Kerung have remained closed.

According to the ministry, the Chinese government has been undertaking road repair on its side of the border.

"We are ready to open the border as soon as the Chinese side completes work on their end."

Upadhyaya said a meeting of the Central Monitoring Committee of Nepal on Thursday also decided to ask China for speedy road repair in Kerung (Rasuwagadhi).

The meeting also decided to coordinate with the ministry of physical infrastructure and transport to clear roadblocks on the Araniko highway in order to request the Chinese side to reopen the Tatopani customs point.

The initiative comes at the time when supplies from India have been affected by strikes in the Tarai region for the past 40 days.

In addition, tighter customs clearance and other delays reportedly from the Indian side after the promulgation of Nepal's new constitution have magnified the problem.

The current food stock in Nepal is expected to last two months, according to the government.

Nepal imports readymade garments, footwear, cosmetics, machinery parts and hardware, fruits and electronics from China.

 

[TaiShang]

Nepal asks China to reopen trade points to ease supply
Published: September 30, 2015


People queuing up at Nepal Army’s Ripumardini Petrol Pump at Bhadrakali to fill fuel in their vehicles on Thursday, September 24, 2015. Photo: Naresh Shrestha

KATHMANDU: The government has sought cooperation of the Chinese government in reopening its trading points at the Nepal-China border at the earliest.

In a meeting held at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies in Singha Durbar today, Ngaindra Prasad Upadhyay, Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, urged the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Wu Chuntai for China’s positive intervention in facilitating trade with re-operation of the closed trade points.

The two key trading points with China, Rasuwagadhi Trading Point in Rasuwa and Tatopani Trading Point in Sindhupalchok district, have been closed following the April 25 earthquake and its aftershocks.

Emerging from the meeting, Upadhyay told the Rastriya Samachar Samiti, “We have made a request with the Chinese government for their cooperation in reopening the closed transit points with China and to help ease off the import of the essentials to Nepal on the onset of biggest festivals in Nepal.”

The request has been made at the time when supplies from India have been affected by agitations in the Tarai region for over 40 days.

In response, Chinese Ambassador Chuntai assured that the Chinese sides were effortful to this end. He expressed his confidence that the trading would be easier in few days.

 

[TaiShang]

China reopens border crossing with Nepal

China has reopened a border crossing with Nepal that had been closed since spring after being damaged during an earthquake.

• POSTED: 15 Oct 2015 17:25
  

This aerial picture taken on April 27, 2015 shows an earthquake damaged road from Jilong township to Rasog township, where the border crossing to Nepal is located, in Jilong, southwest China's Tibet region. (Photo: AFP)

BEIJING: China has reopened a border crossing with Nepal that had been closed since spring after being damaged during an earthquake, China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday (Oct 15).

The Himalayan nation has faced problems bringing in supplies of food and fuel as routes from India have been blocked by protesters opposing Nepal's new constitution.

The Nepali government had asked China to hasten the reopening of two border crossings. They have been closed since two earthquakes killed more than 9,000 people in Nepal in April.

"The China-Nepal Jilong border crossing that was damaged during the Nepal earthquake at present has reopened," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.

"As far as I know, today the Chinese side through this border has already transferred a supply of aid goods and materials," she said, adding that China would continue to send aid based on Nepal's needs.

Nepal is sandwiched between India and China, which themselves have a festering border dispute. The two Asian giants have used aid and investment to court Kathmandu for years. China is also a close ally of Pakistan, India's neighbour and arch-rival.