China lifts travel advisories, Nepal to waive visa fee to Chinese tourists

TravelBizNews —

Kathmandu:  Nepal and China agreed to expand and consolidate bilateral cooperation on different economic sectors mainly on trade, transit, investment, energy, and tourism and infrastructure development.

According to MoFA statement, the visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa had a bilateral meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing today ( Dec.25, 2015). The talks between the two leaders covered the entire gamut of bilateral relations and cooperation.

The Chinese Foreign Minister, while welcoming the Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal as the first senior cabinet member to pay an official visit to China after the formation of new Government following the promulgation of Constitution, expressed China’s strong desire to see a peaceful, stable and prosperous Nepal. He further said China would continue assisting Nepal in her development endeavours.

The two sides discussed the importance of exchanging high level visits between the two countries. The Chinese side has conveyed the invitation to the Prime Minister of Nepal to visit China at an early date. There will be a high-level visit from China to Nepal as well next year.

Expressing happiness over the development of bilateral relations and cooperation over the last 60 years, the two sides agreed to expand and consolidate bilateral cooperation focusing mainly on trade, transit, investment, energy, tourism and infrastructure development.

The two countries  agreed to upgrade and operationalize the existing border points and develop the other border points to promote connectivity between the two countries. The Chinese side has agreed to give priority to the reopening of the Tatopani-Zhangmu border point, which has been disrupted after the April 25 earthquake.

The intergovernmental mechanisms have been tasked to advance negotiations on the proposals on free trade area, transit and Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (BIPPA) .

China has expressed its willingness to seriously examine Nepal’s proposals for importation of petroleum products from China and has advised the respective companies of the two countries to jointly examine the matters relating to price, transportation and other logistics. As a friendly gesture, China will make available additional fuel to northern areas of Nepal bordering Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Chinese side informed that it would soon take up agreed projects for post-disaster reconstruction as per its pledged assistance during the International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction. China has announced its willingness to support Nepal’s industrialization process through reconstruction.

The two countries discussed the ways for promoting people to people contact.

The Chinese side informed that travel advisories issued in the context of earthquake in Nepal has been lifted with immediate effect and hoped the number of Chinese visitors would increase significantly in future.

Deputy Prime Minister Thapa reciprocated the friendly gesture of his Chinese counterpart by announcing that the Government of Nepal would waive visa fees for Chinese tourists.

Likewise, Finance Secretary of Nepal Lok Darshan Regmi and Vice Minister of Commerce of China Zhang Xiangchen signed the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation under which China would make available 900 million RMB as grant assistance for the implementation of the projects of repair and maintenance of Araniko Highway and other projects of interconnection and interworking.

This assistance was announced by the Chinese President Xi Jinping during his meeting with his Nepalese counterpart in March 2015 in Boao, Hainan.

Earlier, Thapa paid a courtesy call on Li Yuanchao, vice president of the People’s Republic of China at the Great Hall of the people in Beijing yesterday.

The Chinese Vice President stated that the visit assumed special significance in the commemorative year of the 60th anniversary and assured him of China’s full support and cooperation for the development of Nepal in the post-quake reconstruction endeavours.

Nepali Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa is on an official visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi from December 24 to 29, 2015.

Dec. 25, 2015