Kathmandu, April 1: Nepal and China have made progress in moving forward with the implementation plan of the Beijing-backed Belt and Road Initiative projects in the Himalayan nation, Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said here on Monday.
Shrestha, who is also the Minister for Foreign Affairs, returned home on Monday, after concluding an eight-day official visit to China from March 25 to April 1.
He held discussions with Chinese officials on matters relating to giving final shape to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Implementation Plan for its actual implementation.
“An understanding has already been reached with China regarding the BRI Implementation Plan during the visit of our Prime Minister to China and talks have moved forward during my visit as per the understanding,” he said.
Under the BRI, Nepal is free to select development projects as per its choice, he added.
Responding to a question, he said “We prefer grant assistance under the BRI but both options including, grant and loan are open and the matter will be discussed later after signing the implementation plan.”
The BRI, also referred to as the “New Silk Road”, is a 10-year-old project initiated by China for building land and sea infrastructure in multiple countries.
Nepal and China signed the BRI framework agreement seven years ago, on May 12, 2017, and the Chinese side forwarded the plan’s text at the end of 2019.
After the Nepali side expressed serious reservations about the text, arguing that Nepal is not interested in commercial loans from China, and set several other conditions to accept support under the BRI framework, negotiations over the BRI projects and implementation plan were halted, local media had reported, quoting Nepalese Foreign Ministry officials.
“My China visit has been successful in further strengthening mutual respect, goodwill and trust between the two countries,” Shrestha told journalists at the Tribhuvan International Airport upon his arrival.
“I believe that the visit has played an important role in taking the friendly relations existing between Nepal and China to a new height,” he said. (PTI)
