KATHMANDU, APRIL 8

The 15th meeting of the Bilateral Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism between the foreign ministries of Nepal and the People's Republic of China was held in Beijing yesterday.

Foreign Secretary of Nepal, Bharat Raj Paudyal and Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Sun Weidong led their respective delegations to the meeting.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting was held in an atmosphere of cordiality and friendship.

The Vice-minister of China admired Nepal's consistent adherence to 'one China' policy and respect for the five principles of peaceful coexistence.

Foreign Secretary Paudyal appreciated the Chinese policy of non-interference and respect for Nepal's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence.

Both sides took stock of the existing Nepal-China bilateral relations and cooperation and deliberated on ways to further expand and consolidate cooperation in various areas, including the exchange of bilateral visits, economic cooperation, promotion of trade, investment and tourism, building connectivity, strengthening cooperation in the fields of agriculture, education, culture and people-to-people relations, among others.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of different infrastructure development projects under China's grant assistance as well as Chinese-contracted projects and agreed to expedite the implementation of the projects so as to complete them in time.

With a view to reducing trade deficit, Foreign Secretary Paudyal proposed preferential treatment of Nepali primary products such as tea, coffee, herbal products, cooked buffalo meat, and other agricultural products.

The Chinese side agreed to encourage Chinese investors to make investment in mutually beneficial areas.

Foreign Secretary Paudyal appreciated the Government of China for enlisting Nepal as one of the outbound destination countries for group tourism.

The two sides discussed promoting people-to-people contacts and cultural cooperation, increasing the number of scholarships to Nepali students and professionals, capacity development of technical experts, among others.

On the occasion, the two sides reviewed the cooperation between the two countries at multilateral forums, including in the United Nations, and exchange of mutual support to each other's candidatures.

They also discussed the importance of implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the usefulness of the GDI to promote the SDG agenda.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 9, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.