This week in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Nepal’s new Foreign Minister Shrestha, emphasizing his appreciation for Kathmandu’s steadfast adherence to the ‘One-China’ principle and firm support for Beijing on Taiwan and Tibet-related issues. He stated that Beijing will, as always, support Nepal in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, support the new government in governing smoothly with the support of the people, and support Nepal in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions.
At Wang Yi’s invitation, Shrestha, who was appointed Nepal’s foreign minister this March, visited China for four days from last Sunday to Wednesday (June 14 to 17).
According to the website of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi and Shrestha held talks on Monday and exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.
During the talks, Wang Yi stated that China and Nepal are connected by mountains and rivers, sharing a common destiny. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, regardless of how the international landscape or Nepal’s domestic situation changes, the two countries have always adhered to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, maintaining sustainable bilateral relations.
Wang Yi pointed out that President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Nepal in 2019 established a generation-friendly strategic partnership for cooperation aimed at development and prosperity, clarifying the direction of joint efforts for China-Nepal relations. Last year, the two peoples celebrated the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Beijing is willing to continue the traditional friendship with Kathmandu, deepen political mutual trust, and keep pace with the times to drive new achievements in strategic cooperation between China and Nepal.
Wang Yi emphasized that China always prioritizes its relations with Nepal in its diplomacy with neighboring countries and that its friendly policy towards Kathmandu is aimed at the entire Nepalese people. He pointed out that history and facts have proven that friendship between China and Nepal serves the fundamental interests of Nepal’s nation, ethnicity, and people.
On economic cooperation and assistance, Wang Yi stated that “a distant relative is not as good as a near neighbor.” Beijing will always be a trustworthy and reliable neighbor and partner for Kathmandu in its process of development, revitalization, and modernization. China is willing to work with Nepal to build a high-quality ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, focusing on cooperation in areas such as power grids, roads, border ports, and aviation, helping Nepal shift from a ‘landlocked country’ to a ‘land-linked country’.
He called on both sides to make good use of various cooperation platforms and mechanisms, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Beijing also encourages Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Nepal and hopes that Kathmandu will provide a more fair and transparent business environment. Both sides should closely cooperate in multilateral settings to safeguard the common interests of developing countries.