Rail link best outcome of China visit: Oli

Kathmandu, June 24 

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday said his visit to China has further enhanced the friendship and bilateral cooperation between the two countries in wide-ranging areas including cross-border rail and road connectivity.

Speaking to journalists upon his arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu after a five-day visit to China, Oli said the agreements on railways, energy, transportation, infrastructure development, tourism, among others, have prepared the outline for long-term economic assistance, the Kathmandu Post reported.

The prime minister said the agreement signed by Nepal and China for the assistance to railway connectivity is an important document of his visit. Oli had held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, following which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to build a strategic railway link connecting Tibet with Kathmandu through the arduous Himalayan terrain. 

The new railway line will connect the Gyirong trading port in the city of Xigaze in Tibet with the Nepali capital Kathmandu.  

Oli expressed hope that cross-border railway projects will give an impetus to cross-border connectivity between Nepal and China.

This is the second significant initiative by Oli, after he signed a transit trade treaty with China during his brief previous tenure in 2016 to reduce dependence on India for transportation of goods to Nepal. The details of the railway agreement have not been made public. Oli said he had visited the “northern neighbour to ensure collaboration with neighbours and to make the ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepalis’ campaign successful.” — PTI