Nepal and China to sign implementation plan of Beijing-backed BRI projects: Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister

Nepal and China will very soon sign the implementation plan of the Belt and Road Initiative, Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said on Saturday, days after the two neighbors signed an agreement to launch ambitious Beijing-backed infrastructure projects in the Himalayan nation. After about seven years.

Once we sign the implementation plan, we will move to the implementation phase, Minister of State for Home Shrestha said while addressing an event here, which is part of the Silk Road Youth Forum and South Asian Cooperation Summit.

He said that the two countries will soon sign the implementation plan of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), without specifying any date. His statement came when senior leader of China’s ruling Communist Party Sun Haiyan was visiting Nepal and meeting top leaders of the country.

Signing the BRI Implementation Plan is key to negotiating and implementing projects under this initiative. Nepal and China signed an MoU on BRI in 2017. However, not a single project under this initiative, a pet project of Chinese President Xi Jinping, has been executed or negotiated. The BRI, which aims to enhance connectivity and promote economic cooperation, has opened up new avenues of cooperation between the two countries, Shrestha said, adding that one of the cornerstones of Nepal-China cooperation is infrastructure development.

“For countries like Nepal, located in the heart of the Himalayas, these initiatives open up possibilities of increased connectivity that can transform the economic landscape,” he said. Shrestha said China’s support in building critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges and energy projects has been instrumental in taking Nepal towards economic development and stability. Signing the BRI implementation plan between Nepal and China has been one of the major agendas since the beginning of 2020, but an agreement could not be reached due to differences between the two sides on investment modalities, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported. Is.

Meanwhile, speaking during a dialogue program held here with various political leaders of Nepal, Sun Haiyan, Vice Minister of International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China, urged the stakeholders of both the countries not to be influenced by the efforts. Other countries are spoiling relations between China and Nepal. Without naming any country, Sun said that countries keep coming and going but only the people of Nepal and China are affected. “Some other countries are also trying to play with Nepal-China relations. They come and go. It is the people of Nepal and China who are affected by their activities, Sun said. Sun, who is on a three-day visit to Nepal, said, “Therefore it is necessary to move forward by setting targets.” We must work together to overcome difficulties and make cooperation more practical.”

Senior ruling Nepali Congress leader Shashank Koirala said his party is keen to cooperate with China in the field of Nepal’s development. He also thanked China for its assistance during the 2015 earthquake and coronavirus pandemic.

The signing of the BRI Implementation Plan is key to the negotiation and implementation of projects under this initiative.

Nepal and China signed an MoU on BRI in 2017 but not a single project has been implemented under the initiative. Once we sign the agreement, we will move to the implementation phase, Shrestha said while addressing an event, which is part of the Silk Road Youth Forum and the South Asian Cooperation Summit.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)