China doubles military assistance to Nepal

The Chinese government has doubled its military assistance to the Nepal Army for strengthening its capacity in disaster management and for better equipping the United Nations peacekeeping mission.

Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishwor Pokhrel, who also holds the defence portfolio, is currently visiting China.

He signed the agreement for the enhanced aid with China’s defence minister Wei Fenghe on Sunday, the Nepali embassy in Beijing said in a statement.

The Chinese government has agreed to provide assistance worth Nepali Rs 2.53 billion to the country’ Army for a period of five years, it said.

China has been assisting Nepal military in the areas of disaster management, medical equipment, as well as logistics for Nepali peacekeepers.

The agreement was worth Nepali Rs 1.69 billion last year, according to officials at the defence ministry.

India is the major source of military hardware, stores and lethal weapons for Nepal.

Former Chinese defence minister Gen Chang Wanquan, while visiting Kathmandu last year, had pledged a grant assistance of Rs 3.04 billion for the Army.

Pokhrel is on a five-day visit to China.

In his meeting with his Chinese counterpart, he stressed the importance of cooperation in military training, hardware in humanitarian and disaster management, and medical equipment and peacekeeping operations.

He requested for Chinese support in establishing a defence university in Nepal. The Chinese minister responded to the proposal positively, saying that the issue would be taken up in future consultations.

Wei appreciated Nepal’s oneChina policy and support on the Tibetan issue, reiterating China’s readiness to strengthen cooperation between the two armies.