China promoting GDI after Nepal’s silence on BRI

After Nepal did not take official interest in China’s ambitious project Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the military alliance Global Security Initiative (GSI), it has put forward a plan to expand its influence in Nepal through the Global Development Initiative (GDI) launched by President Xi Jinping. Which Nepal has taken positively as a humanitarian aid and development program. China informed the Nepali side about the importance of GDI in the meeting.

The 15th meeting of the Foreign Secretary-level bilateral diplomatic consultation mechanism between Nepal and China was held at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing on Friday. In the meeting, emphasis on timely implementation of Chinese investment projects, silence on BRI, and discussions on GDI were concluded.

After the meeting, in a statement released by the Nepali Embassy on Friday evening, Nepal requested China to facilitate export of Nepali products to China. The Chinese side has promised to provide all possible support for the development and prosperity of Nepal.

In the statement issued by the embassy, there is no mention of whether or not the issue of BRI was discussed. It is mentioned that both sides have agreed to implement the Chinese grant projects in Nepal in a timely manner.

Economic partnership, trade promotion, investment and tourism, connectivity building, agriculture, education, cultural and people-to-people relations between the two countries were discussed in the five-hour long meeting.

In the meeting, the Nepali delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Bharatraj Paudyal and the Chinese delegation was led by Sun Weidong, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting was attended by Ambassador Shrestha, Joint Secretary of the Northeast Division of Foreign Affairs, Lok Bahadur Thapa.

In the meeting, the Chinese Deputy Minister expressed his happiness that Nepal’s continuous stance towards the One China Policy and the five principles of peaceful coexistence are being respected. Foreign Secretary Paudyal reiterated Nepal’s stance towards the one-China policy.

Foreign Secretary Paudyal appreciated the Chinese policy of always non-interference and respecting Nepal’s sovereignty, geographical integrity and political independence. In a statement released by the Nepali Embassy, all aspects of Nepal-China relations and cooperation issues were reviewed in the meeting between the two parties. There was also a discussion on the issue of continuing the exchange of visits between the two countries.

“In the meeting, it was agreed that various infrastructure development projects being built with the help of Chinese grants and the projects contracted by the Chinese should be completed on time,” the statement issued after the meeting said.

Foreign Secretary Paudyal proposed to help Nepal’s primary products to be exported to China in order to reduce Nepal’s trade deficit with China. He requested to create an environment for export of tea, coffee, herbs, buffalo meat and agricultural products to China. The Chinese side has responded positively.

The Chinese Deputy Minister also promised to encourage Chinese investors to invest in areas of mutual interest in Nepal. Foreign Secretary Paudyal praised China for including Nepal in the list of foreign destinations for group tourism. “The two sides also discussed promoting public relations and cultural cooperation, increasing the number of scholarships for Nepali students and professionals in China, increasing the capacity of technical experts of Nepal,” said the statement of the Nepali Embassy.

In the meeting, it was also agreed to cooperate between the two countries in the United Nations and multilateral forums and mutually support each other’s candidacy. They also discussed issues including cooperation in the implementation of sustainable development goals.