Prime Minister’s China visit
That Nepal needs to maintain as good ties with China as with India is a given fact. High level visit helps further strengthen such ties for it offers an opportunity for two sides to share and exchange each other’s concern, find ways to settle outstanding issues, if any, commit to safeguard each other’s interests, and move forward in true spirit of friendship and mutual collaboration in matters related to cultural exchanges, connectivity and infrastructure development. Judging Prime Minister K P Oli’s China visit in this light, it must be said, the visit was successful. There have been as many as 14 agreements between China and Nepal on wide ranging issues—from landmark accord to develop a cross-border railway line connecting Tibetan town Kerung with Kathmandu to formation of Ministry of Foreign Affairs-level mechanism for facilitation on the implementation of Nepal-China cooperation projects to cooperate in railway project to protocol on utilization of highways in Tibet Autonomous Region by Nepal for cargo transport, to reconstruction of friendship bridge, human resource development cooperation, building of 159-kilometer-long Kerung-Galchhi transmission line among many others.
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If followed through and implemented in the same spirit displayed while signing these deals, Nepal is going to benefit immensely from these projects. Besides, meeting between Prime Minister Oli and Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang was marked with exchanges of warm and friendly gestures. Xi congratulated Nepal for successful election and Oli conveyed the message that Nepal is on the path of political stability. The Chinese side has congratulated Nepal on historic political transformation and beginning of a new era of stability and economic development. Chinese have also expressed commitment to assist Nepal in its national goal of ‘happy Nepali, prosperous Nepal’ while Nepali side has reaffirmed its commitment on ‘One-China’ policy. The commitment to boosting China-Nepal connectivity both through land and air is equally praiseworthy. Without doubt, some of the agreements, when realized, will help Nepal transform its economic landscape. Kathmanu-Kerung railway, dubbed as “the most significant initiative in the history of bilateral cooperation,” will boost cross-border trade, tourism, people-to-people connection and cultural exchanges. The first Nepal-China cross-border transmission line will allow Nepal and China to trade power besides linking Nepal with regional power grid that encompasses China, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. But most agreements lack specifics.
How will the proposed railway be built? On Chinese grants, loan or assistance? And what will be the share of investment from Nepali side? It is yet unknown which of China-assisted projects will fall under much talked about Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework. Nepali side still seems to have failed to identify the projects under BRI. Conspicuously, the two sides have not signed protocol on trade and transit and oil storage facilities, despite that these two agendas were expected to be discussed in detail and finalized. Given the bitter experience of 2015/16 blockade, trade and transit via Chinese port should have received the top priority and some agreements reached. Nepali side does not seem to have done much on following through and immediately implementing the deals signed with China in 2016, which was expected of this visit. During every visit—whether to India or China—we sign a number of new agreements, but often fail to expedite the agreements previously signed. There have been commitments on various areas of bilateral cooperation, which are good. PM’s visit was high on symbolism, which is important and matters a lot in bilateral relations, but in terms of concrete and tangible progress on BRI projects and trade and transit facilities, the visit does not inspire optimism as much as it was expected.
