During the visit of Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to China from December 2 to 5, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepening their high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Oli paid the four-day official visit at the invitation of his counterpart Premier Li Qiang. This is Oli's first bilateral visit to a neighboring country since he returned to the prime ministership in July.

The two expressed their commitment to strengthening connectivity in sectors including ports, roads, railways, aviation, power grids and telecommunications, to help Nepal transform from a land-locked to a land-linked country.

Nepal joined the BRI, the China-proposed initiative to increase connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes, on May 12, 2017. Since then, Nepal-China practical cooperation has been further enhanced, both in quality and efficiency. Chinese President Xi Jinping envisioned the BRI as a framework connecting countries around the world through trade, infrastructure development, finance and people-to-people exchanges, among others.

As of now, the BRI has achieved far more than physical connectivity. With the spirit of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, the BRI has evolved into a global platform on which participating countries join hands to improve people's livelihoods and drive human development forward, despite the various challenges facing the world.

Over the past decade, the BRI has delivered more than 3,000 of practical projects around the world, bringing tangible benefits to millions of people. The number of BRI partnerships has been growing around the world. So far, more than 150 countries

and over 30 international organizations have signed BRI cooperation agreements, with the initiative extending from the Eurasian continent to Africa and Latin America.

Joint railway project

Some projects under the BRI are already operational, while others are expected to take years to complete. The China-Nepal cross-border railway is one of the long-term projects. During Oli's visit, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to pushing forward with the project.

"The two sides expressed willingness to steadily advance the feasibility study of the Jilong/Keyrung-Kathmandu Cross-Border Railway and planned to hold the Ninth Working Meeting on China-Nepal Railway Cooperation. The Chinese side will continue to help Nepal train railway professionals," read the joint statement issued during the visit.

Nepal and China announced the launch of a feasibility study for the cross-border railway when President Xi paid a visit to Nepal in October 2019. The cross-border railway is one of the key projects under the BRI. Since 2022, China has been providing grant assistance to support the feasibility study and sending its railway experts to conduct the field survey work.

There are several advantages for Nepal upon the completion of the railway, which will reduce the time and cost of cross-border transport and increase the volume of bilateral trade and investment. The railway will help bring excellent Nepali goods such as cashmere fabrics, wood products, handicrafts and organic alpine agricultural products to China while transferring China's technological development to Nepal. For this reason, the two peoples have great expectations for the railway.

Surya Raj Acharya, a Nepali infrastructure expert, said she believes that the railway will be a game-changer for Nepal's economic development after its completion. "The construction of Nepal-China railway will also be a boon for Nepal. We have seen in many BRI partnering countries that it has improved infrastructure and connectivity, created tens of thousands of jobs, and helped countries realize their shared vision of peaceful development, win-win cooperation and common prosperity," Acharya said.

More aviation cooperation

During Oli's visit, the two sides also agreed to increase cooperation in civil aviation under the BRI. "The two sides value the development of civil aviation ties between China and Nepal, and support and encourage air transport enterprises of both sides to open air routes and flights between Chinese cities and Nepali cities such as Pokhara and Lumbini in light of market demand, so as to facilitate bilateral economic and trade ties and two-way travel," read the joint statement.

The inauguration of the China-aided international airport in Nepal's tourist city Pokhara was one of the greatest moments for many Nepali people. The project, an integral part of the China-Nepal Belt and Road cooperation, was inaugurated in December 2022. Envisaged more than 59 years ago, the international airport is now becoming a boost to the local economy.

The opening of the airport has contributed greatly to Nepal's connectivity and allowed for China-Nepal charter flights, creating new opportunities for cooperation under the BRI. Pokhara International Airport, a 4D-standard facility, was built with loan from the Export-Import Bank of China by China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd., a company directly affiliated with China National Machinery Industry Corp., a Fortune 500 company. The construction began in July 2017, two months after Nepal became a BRI partner country. The airport demonstrates China's pursuit of quality in project construction and is a source of national pride in Nepal.

Cross-border energy cooperation

Apart from railroad and aviation connectivity, Nepal and China have also been working toward collaboration in the field of energy. Nepal is rich in water and willing to sell its surplus electricity to China in the near future. China has expressed readiness to support Nepal in this regard.

During the official visit, the two sides also reiterated commitment toward this end. "The two sides will continue to leverage the platform of the China-Nepal Energy Joint Implementation Mechanism, deepen cooperation in energy and explore exchanges in new energy. The two sides are ready to expedite the feasibility study of the China-aided Jilong-Rasuwagadhi-Chilime 220KV Cross-Border Power Transmission Line. The two sides agreed to continue to support the cooperation between telecommunication operators of the two countries and to carry out maintenance and expansion projects related to cross-border land cables," read the joint statement.

Endless opportunities

Nepal can learn from the experience of Asian countries that have already successfully completed BRI projects and boosted their economies. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway is one such example. The railway is a flagship project that dovetails the BRI with Indonesia's Global Maritime Fulcrum initiative. For the past year since the high-speed train went into operation, the project has seen all-round collaboration by teams from both countries in areas such as high-speed rail operation management, talent development and technology transfer.

The BRI is seen as a great opportunity for Nepal as it aspires to become a "dynamic bridge" between China and India by developing North-South transport corridors. In the words of Kalyan Raj Sharma, Chair of the Nepal-China Friendship Forum, the BRI presents a strategic opportunity for Nepal to advance development projects as there is a lack of vital

infrastructure.

Analysts believe the BRI could be a boon for low-income and middle-income countries like Nepal, which are constrained by limited financial resources and looking for foreign investment to meet their development needs.

"For many low- and middle-income countries constrained by limited financial resources, the BRI offers a potential pathway to realize ambitious development goals, paralleling China's rapid growth trajectory of recent decades," Sharma wrote in an article published in Kathmandu Post on December 1. He opined that Nepal can take advantage of China's expertise in rapid economic growth and infrastructure construction by approaching the BRI as a nuanced, multidimensional initiative. BR

This article was first published on the ChinaFocus website. The author is a freelance journalist from Nepal who specializes in foreign policy and geopolitics

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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