Beijing urges a China-Nepal-India connectivity network

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China invites Nepal and India to join connectivity projects among the three nations to boost regional economy, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday, after talks with visiting Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali in Beijing.

Wang said Nepal is a natural choice for cooperation between China and India, and such a network can create conditions for an economic corridor connecting China, Nepal and India.

"With long-term vision, such a connectivity network can cover our links through ports, railways, highways, aviation, electrical transmission and communications. We believe that such a network, when well-developed, can create conditions for an economic corridor connecting China, Nepal and India. We hope such cooperation will contribute to the development and prosperity of all three countries," he said.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar ‍Gyawali, in Beijing, April 19, 2018. /MOFA photo

The two diplomats said the two countries have agreed to start a feasibility study on building a cross-border railway, as part of a cross-Himalaya connectivity network they agreed to build.

In 2016, Nepal inked 10 agreements with Beijing covering trade diversification, cross border connectivity, infrastructure development, as well as cooperation on energy and tourism.

Among them, a landmark deal on transit trade will give the Himalayan country access to the sea via the Chinese port of Tianjin. Gyawali told reporters economic cooperation has dominated the agenda. He said Nepal is a "very close and good friend of China" and it wants to benefit from the progress China has achieved.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talks to Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali (not shown in the photo) in Beijing, China, April 18, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Gyawali is visiting China a week after Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli visited India.

Wang Yi dismissed the notion that Nepal is trying to balance its relations with China and India with this visit. He said Nepal stands as a natural beneficiary for cooperation and development from China and India, and it's a logical desire that both China and India should support the development of Nepal.

(Wu Guoxiu also contributed to the story.)