All-round cooperation between China and Nepal based on the Belt and Road Initiative Graphic: GT

Nepal firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and will never allow any forces to use its territory for anti-China separatist activities, the Nepali side said during a virtual meeting with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao at the 14th round of China-Nepal diplomatic consultation held on Wednesday. 

China and Nepal are good neighbors and friends that help, respect and trust each other. In 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari visited each other and upgraded bilateral relations to a strategic partnership for mutual development and prosperity. 

As close neighbors and dear friends, China and Nepal should promote their traditional friendship and stand firm in supporting each other, Wu said. He said that the two sides should deepen cooperation on epidemic prevention, build the Belt & Road Initiative with high quality, and maintain close communication in various fields. 

For his part, Foreign Secretary of Nepal Bharat Raj Paudyal said that Nepal attaches great importance to its ties with China, and expressed satisfaction and confidence for bilateral development. 

Nepal firmly adheres to the one-China principle, Paudyal noted, and will never allow any forces to use its territory for anti-China separatist activities. Nepal will actively participate in the Belt & Road Initiative, strengthen communications on multiple levels and coordinate with China on regional and international affairs.

The two sides also exchanged ideas on the cooperation and plans in the fields of future trade and investment, interconnection, law enforcement and security and humanistic exchanges.

In March, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid a visit to Kathmandu, the highest-level visit by a Chinese delegation since Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba assumed office in July 2021. The visit also came after Nepal's ratification of a $500 million grant from the US through the MCC agreement.  

During his visit, Wang said China believes the affairs of Nepal should be decided by its people, and China opposes any attempt to undermine Nepal's sovereignty and independence, interfere in its internal affairs and engage in geopolitical games in the country.

In February, BBC reported that "a Nepalese government report leaked to the BBC accuses China of encroaching into Nepal along the two countries' shared border" in the district of Humla, in the far west of Nepal.

However, the Global Times found that the claims had been raised since 2020, and have been repeatedly refuted by the Nepali Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Observers said the BBC's report raised suspicions that its motives match "Tibetan independence" secession forces, and was part of a smear campaign against China amid applause for the Beijing Winter Olympics in February.

Global Times