by Anil Giri inThe Kathmandu Post, Sept 3, 2023
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will not be short of agenda during his upcoming China trip.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is busy preparing the agenda for the upcoming China visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, with inputs from various other ministries.
According to one secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, as many as 100 proposals have been gathered so far. They will be processed by Sunday and a shortlist prepared for discussion with the Chinese authorities.
After completing his engagements around the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the prime minister is scheduled to visit China from September 23. In this trip, to be undertaken directly from the United States, Dahal is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, among other top officials.
The prime minister has instructed Foreign Minister NP Saud and other senior officials of the foreign ministry to submit the agendas forwarded by various ministries by Sunday so that the government can pick what to take up, discuss, agree upon and sign with the Chinese government.
According to one minister, the Nepali side is keen on taking forward some projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) mostly in grants and concessional loan, but will likely stay away from other Chinese initiatives like the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI), both of which were recently floated by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“As the GSI is a security initiative, our stated foreign policy makes it difficult for us to agree with it,” the minister said. “As China is already engaged in plenty of cultural and soft power diplomacy in Nepal, we need not be a part of the GCI.”
The Chinese are expected to request Nepal to agree on the GSI, the GCI and its Global Development Initiative (GDI). Nepal has already received two projects under the GDI which aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
After streamlining the agenda, senior officials of the foreign ministry will sit with the Chinese side in Kathmandu and discuss possible agenda for agreement and signing in Beijing, said Govinda Acharya, press adviser to Prime Minister Dahal.
Chinese Ambassador Cheng Song has met Prime Minister Dahal, urging him to decide on the visit agenda so as to avoid last-minute hassles, which is a regular trend in Nepal’s diplomacy especially during high-level visits. Ambassador Cheng and Prime Minister Dahal on Friday morning discussed the need to expedite decisions on the agenda, according to the prime minister’s private secretariat.
Two officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said there was a long list of items received from various ministries for bilateral consideration with China. “As of now, we expect at least six memoranda of understanding to be signed during the visit,” officials familiar with the preparations said. They range from agreeing on the text of the BRI project implementation plan and exporting buffalo meat to China, to opening more border points and new north-south corridors.
Dahal said on Friday that an agreement will be reached with the Chinese side for the construction of the Hilsa-Simkot road corridor. There will also be discussion on the opening of Korola pass in Mustang and a new pass in Gorkha district.
Some agreements related to the energy sector will be reached, the prime minister said, while addressing a rally organised by the newly formed Socialist Front in Pokhara on Friday.
“We will sign an agreement on cross-border energy trade with China. We will construct a cross-border transmission line via Rasuwagadhi and will also propose direct flights to Pokhara and Bhairawaha from various Chinese cities,” Dahal said. “China is interested in helping in the advancement of Nepal’s agriculture. We expect some concrete progress during my China visit. The export of Nepali grass and buffalo meat will be agreed to as there is a high demand for them in China.”
The project implementation plan for the BRI will figure in bilateral consultations as the prime minister is keen to push at least one BRI project in Nepal, said an official at Dahal’s private secretariat. Nepal had received the text of the BRI project implementation plan long ago but it has not moved ahead.
Proposals for loan waiver for the Pokhara International Airport construction and for the past purchase of five aircraft from China, as well as for direct flights from China to Pokhara and Bhairahawa airport have been forwarded to the Chinese side through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.
The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure has pitched the construction of the Kimathanka-Khandbari road (162 km), Dhulikhel-Tatopani road (Araniko Highway, 84 km), Khutiya-Dipayal-Chainpur-Taklakot road, Hilsa-Simkot road (269 km) and Tokha-Chhahare Tunnel (DPR) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for inclusion in the official agenda.
The energy ministry has forwarded a proposal for the construction of two cross-border transmission lines—Rasuwagadhi-Jilong and Kimathanka-China. The ministry has also sought help in setting up some electric vehicle charging stations on major highways and in Kathmandu Valley, electricity distribution improvement project and the construction of the 454-megawatt Kimathanka-Arun hydroelectricity project.
For its part, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has proposed over half a dozen agenda including the setting up of a training centre and a data centre, and cooperation in cyber security.
Dahal’s Press Adviser Acharya said some memoranda of understanding will be signed during the visit. Both sides will also review past accords and agreements and assess the progress made in various agreed sectors.
The agriculture ministry has recommended the export of Nepali grass, herbs, tea and buffalo meat while seeking additional cooperation in the field of agriculture and the sharing of best practices.
Construction of integrated check posts in Yari (Humla), Kimathanka and Korala; implementation of the Nepal-China Transit and Transportation Agreement signed in 2016; opening new entry points in Gorkha, Bajhang and Darchula districts; and construction of a multidisciplinary lab and quarantine facilities in major transit points along the Nepal-China border have been forwarded by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
The prime minister’s office and the ministry of foreign affairs have also received proposals and agendas from other ministries concerned even on Saturday.
The education ministry has called for Chinese assistance in setting up new vocational education schools and technical schools around the country, as well as a medical college in each of the seven provinces, said officials privy to the visit preparations.
“We are in the process of finalising the agenda,” Foreign Minister Saud said.
https://kathmandupost.com/national/2023/09/03/pm-s-china-visit-bri-projects-to-buffalo-meat-export-on-list
