China-Nepal Cooperation: News & Updates

[JSCh]

Feature: Chinese aid brings smiles to faces of flood victims in Nepal's Terai region
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-26 21:58:09|Editor: Lifang

Delagates pose for group photos during the closing ceremony of the Post Flood Recovery Project, in Kathmandu, Nepal, March 26, 2018. In Nepal's Terai region, 31,800 families severely affected by one of the worst floods hitting the region in August 2017 are able to recover from the disaster and smile again with the help of Chinese aid, local authorities said here on Monday. The swift recovery of the flood victims has been made possible by the Post-Flood Recovery Program, under the framework of the China South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)

KATHMANDU, March 26 (Xinhua) -- In Nepal's Terai region, 31,800 families severely affected by one of the worst floods hitting the region in August 2017 are able to recover from the disaster and smile again with the help of Chinese aid, local authorities said here on Monday.

The swift recovery of the flood victims has been made possible by the Post-Flood Recovery Program, under the framework of the China South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund.

The three-month long project was implemented by the United Nations Development Program Nepal in coordination with Nepal's Post Flood Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project under the auspices of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA).

"The aid from China has reached the needy and marginalized communities of the Terai region," Dr. Suman Karna, Project Chief at the Post Flood Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project at the NRA, said.

"It has not only put smiles back on their faces, but has also given them the confidence to get back on their feet and earn a livelihood," he said during the formal closing of the three-month long project.

As Terai is a poverty and unemployment stricken region, it requires special attention, Karna said. China's disaster relief experience could be valuable for Nepal, which is also vulnerable to natural disasters, he added.

Karna's statement was echoed by the mayors and deputy mayors of Dhanusha and Rajbiraj, two districts that border India which were hard-hit by the floods.

"The relief packages were distributed in such a way that even disabled people were not left behind and there were no duplications nor any mismanagement. But we need to have long-term solutions," Sadhana Jha, Deputy Mayor of the Rajbiraj Municipality, said.

The Chinese aid came in response to the extensive damage and displacement caused by the floods in the country's southern region. A post-flood assessment conducted by the Nepali government found that 1.7 million people had been affected by the disaster, with 134 killed in the 18 worst-hit districts.

The project supported 31,800 households in seven districts spanning Sunsari, Saptari, Sarlahi, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Rautahat and Parsa located in Provinces 1 and 2.

For her part, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong said that as a good neighbor, the Chinese people could feel the suffering of the Nepali people, who experienced the heaviest rainfall and floods recorded in 60 years.

"In November, we offered 4 million U.S. dollars to help the Nepali people in the flood-affected Terai region to help them recover from the disaster. The assistance has reached more than 31,800 households and I am glad that the non-food items provided by the Chinese government could bring warmth to the families," ambassador Yu said.

The ambassador further said that China will continue to provide assistance and support to Nepal within its capacity and make contributions to Nepal's post-disaster reconstruction and social and economic development.

Under the support from China, the victims were provided with non-food items like shawls, blankets, cooking utensils, insecticide-treated bed nets, clean cooking stoves, water filters and hygiene kits.

Valerie Julliand, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, said: "This project was much-needed, targeted and timely, which contributed to the health and well being of the flood victims."

She also stressed the need for effective disaster risk management and for building long-term resilience.

On the occasion of the closing of the three-month long project, the visiting UN Resident Coordinator in China, Nicholas Rossellini, praised the trilateral cooperation between China, Nepal and the United Nations.

"Post-disaster conditions need immense partnership within the country and with international partners, as well as political will, technical assistance, financial support and innovative approaches," Rosellini said.

In many ways this project has demonstrated these vital facets, he said.

 

[TaiShang]

Nepal keen to enhance connectivity with China under Belt and Road Initiative: FM
Xinhua, April 22, 2018


Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said on Saturday that Nepal is keen to work with China to enhance cross-border connectivity under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The foreign minister, who returned home on Saturday after a five-day visit to China, told media here that the Nepali government has sought assistance from China to develop connectivity projects.


"We have sought assistance from China to develop connectivity projects including railway lines under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative during the visit," he said.


The minister said that both sides agreed to identify and implement projects in construction of highways and railways.


"We want to deepen cooperation with China in the field of trade, commerce, tourism, aviation, communication and people-to-people contacts, among others," he said.



Introduced by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting countries along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.

 

[Yingluck]

Everyone are speculating the whole family below got killed by Indian intelligence because the king and crown prince love China.

Nevertheless after many attempts of regime change, by plebiscite or bloodshed , every single Nepalese regime turn to China, even though they may be initially pro India

 

[TaiShang]

Belt and Road Initiative helps transform economy of partnering countries: Nepali minister

Source:Xinhua Published: 2018/11/20


Nepali Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada on Monday expressed his belief that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative would help transform the economy of those partnering countries including Nepal.

The minister made the remarks here during a two-day international conference on the Belt and Road Initiative in South Asia and Nepal.

Khatiwada said the initiative created win-win situation for those countries.

"I think nobody should be skeptic about the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) as it creates win-win situation for all who are part of it," Khatiwada said.

Proposed by China in 2013, the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa through the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.

Noting that Nepal has already become part of the initiative, Khatiwada said Nepal would reap benefit from the enhanced connectivity.

"The initiative has opened up new opportunities for countries like Nepal. We believe that we can gain easy access to the sea and further strengthen economic ties with South Asian and Central Asian countries through enhanced connectivity," he said.

The minister added that the initiative helped to narrow the gap of physical infrastructure and investment.

Chinese Ambassador Yu Hong said the Belt and Road Initiative has adopted the principle of achieving shared benefits through extensive consultation and joint construction.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1128088.shtml

 

[JSCh]

18:57, 28-May-2019
Largest China-Nepal port set to reopen
By Xu Xinchen, Luo Caiwen and Wu Siyi

The Zhangmu (Khasa) Port along the China-Nepal border is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday. It closed in 2015 following a deadly 8.1-magnitude-earthquake in Nepal. Before the earthquake, the Zhangmu Port was the largest trade hub for the two countries, accounting for 90 percent of the total bilateral trade. The reopening is spreading cheerful notes.

Elected two years ago, Dibendra Shrestha, now chairs a village just five kilometers from the China-Nepal border. 80 percent of the village economy relied on the trade with China.

The 2015 earthquake caused massive destruction and forced the port to shut down, people fled. Shrestha told CGTN that after the earthquake most of the people from his village fled to Kathmandu, Sindhupalchok and other places where they had extended families.

The Zhangmu (Khasa) Port along the China-Nepal border. /CGTN Photo

The village is the Ward No.2 of Nepalese Tatopani Rural Municipality. Once home to over 5,000 people, the number of residents reduced over 50 percent after the earthquake. The local economy was the biggest causality. For those who were left behind, everything had to be built again from scratch.

Destroyed roads and closed port took villagers hours to reach the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, which is just 100 kilometers away. The Zhangmu Port linking China and Nepal had always been a better route for supplies and business opportunities.

But the good news came six months back when people started to move back to the village after hearing that the port was going to reopen soon.

According to the village head, the number of residents in his village climbed back to some 4,000.

Few shops have reopened in Nepalese Tatopani's Ward No.2. /CGTN Photo

"They are sure they can live here after the border reopens. They can make their businesses here, they can study here. They can do everything here," said Shrestha.

Across the border, the 2015 earthquake also shattered lives in the Chinese town of Zhangmu. Residents were evacuated, but China's immigration police stayed behind providing aid to Nepalese neighbors and safeguarding peace around the border.

But the task was easier said than done. The area, from the quake's epicenter, spans over 300 kilometers, and the officers had to face life-threatening landslides in the aftermath of the strong quake. Frequent rains made the situation even worse. A flood in 2016 further damaged the region, crippling the sole pass-way in front of the Zhangmu Port, the Friendship Bridge.

Immigration police officers attend morning training at their station in Zhangmu, China-Nepal border. /CGTN Photo

Desperately-needed supplies simply could not reach the remaining Chinese immigration police. For over four years, they stayed at the port in isolation preparing for the reopening. But at last they succeeded.

Now, without worrying about broken roads and collapsed bridges, those immigration police officers can hope for a better sleep once the port reopens.

"The port is a bond of friendship between the two countries and an economic bridge. The port re-opening can boost cultural exchanges as well as trade," said Shen Chengqiang, who has worked as an immigration police officer for over a decade at the China-Nepal border.