This excites the people of Nepal! "As long as Chinese have determination, nothing is impossible..."

Source: Global Times - Global Network

Nepal's ambassador to China, Bishnu Shresta, said in an exclusive interview with the Global Times reporter a few days ago that the China-Nepal cross-border railway is Nepal's need, dream and road to prosperity, and may become the country's "project of the century". India will not and should not deny the China-Nepal cross-border railway project, as India and the South Asian region will also benefit from it. He also said the argument that the project could put Nepal in a "debt trap" was "spreading misinformation and making noise."

In early August, Foreign Minister Khadeja of Nepal's Deupa Government visited China for the first time. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on August 11, during the previous meeting between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Khadeja, the foreign ministers of the two countries unanimously said that they would build a cross-Himalayan three-dimensional interconnection network. Wang Yi announced that China will use the funds from Nepal to support the feasibility study of the China-Nepal cross-border railway, and will send experts to Nepal to carry out surveys within the year.

Shreesta told the Global Times that the feasibility study means that the project has been opened, and if the results of the study show that it is feasible, it is expected to see the landing of the project soon, "We believe that as long as Chinese have determination, nothing is impossible." ”

"This railway is a need for Nepal, a dream of Nepal and a path to nepal's prosperity. It could be a 'project of the century,'" said the Nepalese diplomat, adding that the China-Nepal cross-border railway is vital to trade, transport, investment and personnel exchanges between the two countries, minimizing the time and cost of cooperation between the two countries while maximizing the output of trade and investment between the two countries.

He believes that Nepalis have seen the positive impact of the China-Laos cross-border railway, which was opened a few months ago, "which makes the Nepalese people excited... We think [the same situation] will soon become a reality [in Nepal]. ”

The China-Nepal railway proposal began in 2016 when Nepalese Prime Minister Ollie visited China and signed 10 agreements with China, including plans to build a railway between the two countries. In June 2018, the Chinese and Nepalese governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cross-Border Rail Cooperation, linking Shigatse, Tibet, with Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. According to media reports, India is unhappy with Nepal's signing of a rail deal with China, but Nepal's leaders stressed that diversifying trade is the right choice for landlocked countries like Nepal.

Some foreign media analysis believes that India has repeatedly imposed an economic blockade on Nepal for several months without official announcement, and after the completion of the China-Nepal cross-border railway, Nepal can use China's seaport and dry port if it is blocked again. In addition, because in 2019, Nepal determined that the railway uses the same standard gauge as China, rather than India's broad gauge, which has frustrated India's railway diplomacy, and some public opinion in India has also speculated that the railway poses a "threat" to India.

In this regard, Shreesta told the Global Times reporter that he believes that India will not and should not deny the China-Nepal cross-border railway project, if they study it carefully, they will find that India and South Asia will also benefit from this project, "this railway will realize the huge interconnection potential between China and South Asia."

He also believes that the China-Nepal cross-border railway will not pose a so-called "security threat" to any country, including India, and that "the passage of the Chinese army through this railway in wartime to Nepal" is just a "hypothesis in the minds" of some people. He said that the construction of the China-Nepal cross-border railway is for better connectivity, trade, tourism, job creation and the improvement of the level of economic and social development, not for military purposes. At the same time, he stressed that China has always respected Nepal's sovereign independence and territorial integrity.

Shresta criticized some Indian media for using the project to hype "Nepal to China" as not in line with the facts. He said that China and Nepal have a long history, culture and political relations, And China has always respected Nepal's foreign policy, and has never asked Nepal not to develop relations with India. ”

Another foreign media analysis believes that the China-Nepal cross-border railway project costs a lot of money, which may lead to Nepal's excessive dependence on Chinese loans, and then fall into a "debt trap" like Sri Lanka. In response, Shresta said the project did not involve any discussion about debt or loans, and "I did not see any possibility of a so-called debt trap". He also said that when seeking China's development assistance, Nepal and China will negotiate the financial model of each project on a mutually beneficial basis, and pay great attention to the feasibility of these projects in the socio-economic field, "those who hold the 'debt trap' argument are just spreading misinformation and making noise."

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the Nepalese foreign minister's visit to China in September, China and Nepal also reached a consensus that they will sign the implementation plan for jointly building the "Belt and Road" as soon as possible, and convene the Joint Economic and Trade Committee and the Unimpeded Trade Working Group within the year. The two countries will promote power interconnection projects and strengthen power cooperation planning.

Shresta said in an interview that the cooperation between China and Nepal on cross-border transmission lines is very important, it is directly related to Nepal's energy security and sustainability, and can promote Nepal's socio-economic prosperity. The project will not cause any harm to the interests of other countries, but only has great potential to improve the well-being of the Nepalese people.

The diplomat stressed that the Belt and Road Initiative is one of the important pillars of Nepal's cooperation with China and a "new type of cooperation in the new era". Since joining the Belt and Road Initiative in 2017, Nepal has always attached great importance to cooperation with China under this framework, believing that the Belt and Road Initiative can also help Nepal achieve sustainable development goals and improve the country's economic and social development level. He also praised China for bringing transformative results and productivity to other partner countries through the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to Nepal's local media "People's Review" earlier quoted by people familiar with the matter, before foreign minister Khadeja visited China in August this year, Europe and the United States had informally informed the Nepalese government that the time of Khadeja's visit to China was "inappropriate", because this visit occurred after US House speaker Pelosi "visited" Taiwan, which will send a signal of Nepal's support for China. Diplomats from Western countries in Nepal also sought to meet with Khadeja before his visit to China to express their dissatisfaction with his visit.

Is Nepal under diplomatic pressure to develop relations with China? Shresta told the Global Times that the Nepalese government will not accept any pressure because Nepal is a sovereign country that will make decisions independently. Despite its strategic location between two Asian powers, one of Nepal's core diplomatic principles is non-alignment and no military umbrella of any kind.

"In addition to being neighbors, Nepal and China are also close friends," he said, describing that the close relationship between Nepal and China is like the natural flow of water in a river, formed by natural development, and will not be hindered by any pressure, and the development of relations with China is the choice of the Nepalese people and government.

He also said that as an ambassador, he will be committed to further deepening and broadening the relationship between the two countries and the ties between the people of Nepal and China, especially hoping to bring more advanced Chinese technology to Nepal, and observe and learn how China has lifted itself out of poverty, "Nepal's economic foundation is agriculture, and I hope that during my term as ambassador, I hope to promote Nepal to learn more agricultural technology from China and attract China to invest in setting up more manufacturing plants in Nepal." ”

Global Times-Global Network report Reporter: Bai Yunyi Xie Wenting