Nepal tells Li it’s ready for Belt and Road

China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Nepal and enhance connectivity and capacity cooperation under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday.

Li made the remark when meeting with Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Nepal’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, who is on a six-day visit to Beijing.

“China and Nepal share a long-standing friendship and China wishes stability and sound development for Nepal,” Li said.

Noting China and Nepal are friendly neighbors, Li said, and China hopes to see a smooth and united advancement of Nepal’s political agenda.

China is ready to deepen Belt and Road cooperation with Nepal and enhance cooperation in connectivity, capacity and infrastructure, as well as broadening crossborder investment, Li said. He said China will push forward feasibility research on the China-Nepal free trade agreement and cross-border economic cooperation zone.

China is ready to offer needed assistance to Nepal, he said, especially in the country’s post-quake reconstruction efforts.

Mahara also met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier on Thursday. During the talk, Mahara said the Nepal-China relations is built on the basis of mutual trust and respect, and all sides in Nepal wish to build relations with China. He said Nepal will hold firmly to the one-China policy, and will never allow any side to carry out any activity that will harm or threaten China’s sovereignty and territory. Nepal is grateful for China’s long-term assistance, he said, and will actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative.

At a joint news conference, Wang pointed out that Nepal, located between China and India, can work as the bridge connecting the two large emerging economies. China and India, both as neighbors of Nepal, should fully respect Nepal’s rights and independence and offer assistance in Nepal’s development. He said China believes Nepal will attach equal importance on developing the relations with China and India.

Wang also said China is willing to work further to build the economic corridor between China, Nepal and India to build the Trans-Himalayan area into a highland of Asian development.