China plans corridor, rly line to link Tibet with India, Nepal
Beijing, July 2
China has proposed a trilateral economic corridor with India through Nepal and a railway line linking the three nations via Tibet, besides undertaking joint reconstruction projects to rebuild quake-hit Nepal.
The India-Nepal-China Corridor is a major initiative to promote the connectivity in the region, especially between China and India and help quake-ravaged Nepal, said Huang Xilian, Deputy Director General of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The proposal mooted by China during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit here in May was received positively by him, Huang said.
The proposal was discussed in the recent meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of an international conference on Nepal reconstruction in Kathmandu last month.
“We need to work together to reconstruct Nepal and we need to set up a joint study group to explore the feasibility of the Corridor,” Huang said.
“We are ready to set up a study group for economic corridor. If we can reach an agreement on its feasibility, we are ready to push it forward as it will benefit the three countries,” he said.
He also spoke about China’s interest to build railway line through the Himalayan passes of Tibet connecting Nepal and India. “The construction of this railway line will help materialise a dream. We need to have a feasibility study on it. If India shows interest, we will respond positively,” he said. — PTI