Vice premier visits Nepal

China, India to ‘ resolve standoff through back channels’

A Chinese vice premier is scheduled to visit Nepal on Monday amid the China- India standoff in Doklam, with experts saying both countries may be trying to resolve the standoff through back channels.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang on Sunday left for Pakistan and Nepal to attend events to mark the 70th anniversary of Pakistani independence, and is scheduled to arrive in Nepal on Monday.

The Kathmandu Post reported that China and Nepal will sign reconstruction and infrastructure deals during Wang Yang’s visit, who heads a 21man delegation. He is said to be the highest- ranking Chinese official to visit Nepal since thenPremier Wen Jiabao visited the country in 2012.

Wang Yang’s visit comes against the backdrop of an ongoing standoff between China and India.

Wang Yang is expected to call on Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Bahadur Deuba on Wednesday. Deuba will visit India on

August 23.

“China and Nepal are neighbors with a friendship that has been enjoying a steady momentum,” Hua Chunying, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, told the Global Times on Monday.

Wang Yang’s visit is an important high- level interaction between China and Nepal, and both countries hope that the visit could promote cooperation and the agreements reached between the two countries, and deepen the practical cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative as well as the partnership between the two nations, Hua said.

“The vice premier’s visit at such a sensitive time is meant to remind India not to go too far,” Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

It shows Sino- Pakistani friendship is unbreakable, and that China also has a great relationship with Nepal, Hu said.

In June, Indian troops crossed into Chinese territory and New Delhi has maintained a military presence in the Doklam area in the past two months, violating China’s sovereignty and risking regional stability, Xinhua reported.

As of August 7, 53 Indian troops and a bulldozer remained in Chinese territory. India has complained about China’s new roads, but it, too, has been building roads and a large number of Indian troops are massed in the area, the Xinhua report added.

Staying neutral

Nepal Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara said Nepal “will not take sides in the ongoing Sikkim standoff between India and China,” the Times of India reported.

Nepal wants India and China to use “peaceful diplomatic means” to resolve the issue, Mahara said, according to the report.

Hu said Nepal has been resisting India’s control for years, while China has provided economic assistance to Nepal.

“India has always wanted Nepal on its side and does not want Nepal to swing over to China,” Wang Dehua, head of the Institute for South and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Municipal Center for International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.

“Countries like Nepal have remained neutral on the standoff , which could be of great help to China. However, India refuses to listen to its neighboring countries,” Wang Dehua said.

“Nepal has stayed neutral on the standoff , and China also hopes Nepal, as well as other South Asian countries, maintain normal relations with India,” Hu noted.

Sino- Pakistani ties

China and Pakistan on Sunday promised to deep en their pragmatic cooperation in various fields during a meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Wang Yang, Xinhua reported.

Noting that China and Pakistan are “iron friends” and all- weather strategic partners who understand and support each other, Wang Yang said Chinese President Xi Jinping’s successful visit to Pakistan in 2015 has ushered in a new chapter in relations between the two countries.

Wang Yang on Monday spoke highly of Pakistan’s national development over the past 70 years, expressing confi dence that the country will have a bright future.

Over the past 70 years, Pakistan has taken on a new look with much improved infrastructure, leapfrog advances in science and technology and notably enhanced comprehensive national strength, he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has been committed to the path of peaceful development and to pursuing external relations on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Wang Yang said.

The country has actively participated in international and regional aff airs, playing an important role in multilateral organizations and serves as an important force in the international arena, he added.