Kathmandu, April 25: China plans to link Tibet with Nepal by extending a railway line from Lhasa to Khasha on the Nepal-China border.
A high-level Chinese delegation met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today and informed him that Beijing has included the railway line extension in its ongoing eleventh five-year plan.
The four-member Chinese team, which arrived here in the capital four days ago, discussed bilateral relations between the two countries, Koirala’s foreign affairs advisor
Adatya Baral was quoted as saying by the Kantipur online.
The delegation led by director general of Chinese Communist Party I. Ping told Koirala that the government plans to extend the railway line from Lhasa to the Nepal-China
border within next five years, the report said.
Nepal had been urging China to extend the railway system to its border towns so as to boost trade and tourism between the two countries.
The delegation also discussed the political situation in Nepal after the landmark Constituent Assembly elections on April 10 that is set to see a CPN-Maoist led government take office for the first time in the country.
Development works currently underway in Nepal with Chinese assistance were also discussed. Ping assured that Beijing would continue its assistance and was open to
expanding the areas of cooperation with Nepal, local media report said.
Meanwhile, the third Chinese business expo kicked off in Kathmandu today to showcase Chinese products and technology to Nepalese consumers. The fair, which is set to continue till April 28, is being organized jointly by the Nepal-China executive council and the Chinese embassy and co-sponsored by Nepal-China Chamber of Commerce.
Bureau Report