Belt and Road Initiative important for socio-economic development of entire South Asia: Nepalese officials

KATHMANDU - Nepal's opposition and ruling party leaders have said that the Belt?and Road Initiative will be highly important for the socio-economic and infrastructure development of entire South Asia including Nepal.

The leaders made such remarks during their separate meetings with a 14-member visiting Chinese Think Tank delegation in the Nepalese Capital Kathmandu, recently.

The Belt?and Road Initiative is a grand vision for achieving socio-economic and infrastructure development of entire South Asia by enhancing road and railway connectivity, Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal, K.P Sharma Oli, told the visiting delegation.

Oli, who is the former prime minister of Nepal, expressed hope that the initiative will help achieving economic prosperity and elevate poverty from the world. "We want to enhance connectivity with China reap benefits from such visionary initiatives," Oli said.

Oli stressed on the full implementation of the landmark bilateral agreements including the Transit Transport Agreement reached between the two governments in March last year when he paid an official visit to Beijing as the prime minister.

"My visit to China was memorable contributing to take our bilateral ties to a new level. We signed a number of landmark deals with China including the Transit Transport Agreement," he said adding that no external forces can stop from implementing those historical bilateral cooperation deals to promote connectivity, trade and commerce.

The think tank delegation, which took part in the "China-Nepal Think Tank Conference" jointly organized by Xinhua News Agency and Nepal Study Centre at Hebei University of China on Jan 17-18, held meeting separate meeting with Former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.

During the meeting, the former prime minister, said that Nepal and least developed countries of the world are happy with the rise of China as a world power.

The grand initiatives such as the Belt?and Road Initiative are crucial for socio-economic development of Nepal and other countries of the world. Nepal wants to reap benefits from such initiatives, he said.

"The China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and revival of the Silk Roads are very important for Nepal as a neighboring country," he added.

The former prime minister, who is currently the Head of the CPN (UML) International Relations Department, said that Nepalese people have huge feeling towards China even though there are frequent government changes in Nepal.

Meanwhile, the delegation of the Chinese think tank also visited ruling CPN's headquarters in Kathmandu held a discussion with vice chairman of the party, Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

The meeting between the two sides was focused on Nepal-China relations, Nepal's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, world politics and experience of socialism in practice among others.

On the occasion, ruling party leader Shrestha said that the three-tier relationship between Nepal and China, government to government, party to party and people to people, has always been excellent and that its dimensions are set to new heights in future.

While meeting with the Nepali opposition and ruling party leaders, Huang Youyi, the leader of Chinese Think Tank Delegation and the secretary general of International Advisory Board of The Chahar Institute of China, said that Nepal is a special friend of China among neighboring countries.

Huang stressed on establishing mechanisms to implement the bilateral deals signed between the two governments in March last year.