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WORLD NEWS Monday 14 october 2019
China, Nepal sign deals for connectivity,

security and trade

By ROSHAN SEDHAI
Associated Press
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP)
— Nepal and China signed
20 agreements on Sunday,
including one on a trans-
Himalayan railway, as Chi-
nese President Xi Jinping
wrapped up a two-day visit
to the Himalayan nation.
After talks in Kathmandu,
Xi and Nepalese Prime
Minister K.P. Sharma Oli
witnessed the signing of
18 agreements and two
letters of exchange in ar- Chinese President Xi Jinping, center attends a bilateral meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday,
eas of connectivity, secu- Oct. 13, 2019.
rity, border management, Associated Press
trade, tourism and educa- covered with high moun- bet remains an issue of human rights, and protect
tion. tain peaks. concern. Shrestha said that the rights of Tibetan refu-
Xi, who arrived Saturday Nepal is traditionally cau- in its pursuit to improve ties gees.
from India after meeting In- tious in building relations with China, Nepal should "Nepal has symbiotic and
dian Prime Minister Naren- with its bigger neighbors In- not compromise in its core organic relations with Ti-
dra Modi, became the first dia and China. values like democracy and bet," he said.q
Chinese president in more Xi's visit and the subsequent
than two decades to visit deals could be seen as an
Nepal. important development
One of the deals includes between the two coun-
an understanding to start a tries as India traditionally
feasibility study of a China- maintains close relations
Nepal cross-border railway with Nepal for their shared
project being considered religious, cultural and his-
under an ambitious proj- torical ties and a 1,751-ki-
ect that is a component of lometer (1,088-mile) border
China's signature Belt and on three sides. Xi's visit also
Road Initiative. generated excitement in
China is working to stretch Nepal's tourism sector.
out the Qinghai-Tibet rail- In an article published in
way up to Keirung, a bor- Nepali media ahead of his
der town less than 35 kilo- visit, Xi described Nepal as
meters (22 miles) from Ne- the first South Asian country
pal, by 2020. Kathmandu, to be designated an ap-
Nepal's capital, is around proved destination for Chi-
70 kilometers (43 miles) nese tourists and pledged
from the border point. China's support of Visit
A statement issued by Ne- Nepal 2020, an ambitious
pal's Ministry of Foreign Af- plan unveiled by Oli's gov-
fairs made no mention of ernment to bring in 2 million
an extradition treaty that foreign tourists in a year.
was expected to be high Kapil Shrestha, a politi-
on the agenda of the cal science professor at
meetings. Nepal's Tribhuvan Univer-
Nepalese officials earlier sity, said Xi's visit is likely to
ruled out the possibility of pave ways for greater en-
any immediate agreement gagement between the
on the extradition issue. two countries, and would
China has been pressing check India's "high-hand-
Nepal to sign the treaty for edness in Nepal's affairs."
some years to improve the "This visit will slightly curtail
administration of border ar- India's influence and force
eas and fight against illegal New Delhi to think twice
border crossing and trans- before imposing an eco-
national crimes like bank- nomic blockade like it did
ing fraud, trafficking and in 2015," Shrestha said. "For
the smuggling of gold and China, Nepal, with a favor-
wildlife parts. able government in Kath-
India has extensive influ- mandu, is the easiest route
ence on Nepal's economy to spread its tentacles in
and politics, while China South Asia."
and Nepal share a border But Nepal's position on Ti-