Nepal and China have signed 10 selected projects as part of their Belt and Road Initiative Cooperation Framework during a program held in Beijing today.
The BRI Cooperation Framework was signed by the representatives of the Nepal government and China government, the Prime Minister's Secretariat has said.
Acting Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai on behalf of the Nepal government and Deputy Head of National Development and Reform Commission of China, Liu Sushe on the Chinese side, were the signatories of the Cooperation Framework.
10 select projects signed under BRI Cooperation Framework
1. Tokha-Chhahare Tunnel Road
2. Hilsa-Simikot Road Project
3. Kimathanka-Khandbari Road and Bridge
4. Jilong-Kerung-Kathmandu Cross-border Railway
5. Amargadhi City Hall in Dadeldhura
6. Jilong-Kerung-Rasuwagadhi Chilime 220 KV Cross-border Transmission Line
7. Madan Bhandari University
8. Kathmandu Scientific Center and Science Museum
9. China-Nepal Friendship Industrial Park in Damak
10. Sports and Athletic Complex in Jhapa
Intellectual circles were closely watching the BRI and its further development during Prime Minister Oli's China visit.
Nepal had submitted its final draft proposal to China regarding the implementation agreement for the Chinese project (BRI).
Nepal submitted its final official document on the implementation agreement to China, naming it the ‘BRI Cooperation Framework’, to the Embassy of China in Kathmandu on November 30, according to the officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Four years ago, China proposed the ‘BRI Implementation Plan’ in 2020 to implement the BRI agreement signed between Nepal and China on May 12, 2017. However, due to political instability and lack of consensus among the parties involved in the coalition, the BRI implementation could not make headway.
During the third term of then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', there was an attempt to take this issue forward again. However, due to lack of consensus on the financial modalities of implementation, the Chinese project could not gain momentum as an agreement.
Prime Minister Oli was under pressure to sign on the BRI implementation plan and take the Chinese project forward during his four-day visit to China.
Prime Minister Oli, who is, currently, on a China visit, paid a courtesy call on Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday. On the same day, he held separate meetings with his counterpart Li Qiang and Chairman of the People's Congress of China Zhao Leji.
Following the meeting, both the countries issued a 12-point joint statement, pledging to deepen their strategic partnership and accelerate connectivity projects, particularly in the railway sector. Similarly, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutual cooperation in nine areas was signed after talks between the delegations led by the two prime ministers at the Great Hall of the People.
Earlier, he addressed a program organized at Peking University. He is also schedule to address the Nepal-China Business Forum, jointly organized by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, today.
Prime Minister Oli, who left for Beijing on December 2 at the cordial invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li, will return home tomorrow, wrapping up his four-day visit to China.
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