Chinese delegation meets PM Dahal

KATHMANDU: A delegation led by the Communist Party of China’s Secretary of Tibet, Wang Junzheng, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Thursday.

Matters relating to bilateral cooperation and mutual concerns were discussed in the meeting. On the occasion, Prime Minister Dahal said the Trans-Himalayan Connectivity Network is significant for both countries and said the two countries should work to implement it,  according to the Prime Minister’s press expert Manahari Timilsina.

Similarly, Dahal expressed hope for the operation of direct flights from China’s Sichuan Province to Pokhara International Regional Airport built with Chinese loans. He also told the Chinese delegation that Nepal intends to make impacts of climate change a primary agenda in the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28) scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 12 this year in the UAE. He urged China to support Nepal’s climate change agenda on the global stage.

The PM also thanked the Chinese government for its initiatives to regularize the Nepal-China transit points and expected China’s support for smooth operations of border crossings in the days to come. Acknowledging the emergency assistance that Nepal received from China for the recent earthquake in the Karnali Province, the Prime Minister said Nepal was looking for cooperation from the Chinese government to develop the earthquake pre-information mechanism.

Similarly, Junzheng said that China wanted to work together with Nepal in the infrastructure, connectivity, economic development, and tourism sectors in Nepal. Stating that the promotion of people-to-people ties is the priority of China, he said the exchange of visits between the two countries at different levels proved this. Expressing sorrow on behalf of the Chinese government over the demise of scores of people in the recent earthquake, Junzheng said China was ready to extend additional relief support to the earthquake survivors.