Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Saturday called for Nepal-China ties to move beyond traditional border management towards ecological collaboration, climate security and a strategic partnership built on technology, trade and infrastructure development. Speaking in Kathmandu at a programme on the theme “Nepal-China relations- expanded dimension of collaborations” under the third Kasthamandap Dialogue, he said recent events had shown the need for a broader approach.
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Khanal said the recent flood in the Bhotekoshi river showed that the Nepal-China border was not just a political boundary, but a region shaped by the two countries’ shared ecological future. He said cooperation should focus on climate risks, disaster preparedness and stronger cross-border connectivity.
Referring to the August 26 flood as the “Himalayan tsunami”, Khanal thanked the Chinese government for emergency assistance, technical cooperation and hydrology-related information during rescue operations. Flash floods triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26 devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, killing around 1,400 people, while more than 5,000 remain missing. The Bhotekoshi River carried floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.
“Geography doesn’t only delineate the political boundary between Nepal and China, but also brings together our common destiny,” Khanal said. “The Himalayas should not be treated as an obstacle or line of division as in the past, but should be considered as a common ecological treasure and area for conservation.” He added that “ecological upliftment and climate security should be the basis for Nepal-China collaboration at a time when there is increasing risk of climate change and environment-related disasters”.
He proposed the exchange of real-time satellite data and the development of weather forecasting and early warning systems to reduce the impact of trans-border disasters such as glacial lake outburst floods, unpredictable weather and landslides. Reiterating Nepal’s commitment to the one-China policy, Khanal said, “Nepal will not allow its land to be used against neighbouring countries.”
Appreciating China for respecting Nepal’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, Khanal said the Nepal-China strategic partnership launched in 2019 reflected the depth of mutual respect and cooperation between the two countries. He also said Nepal’s foreign policy is guided by the “middle path” doctrine, and reiterated that the country wants to develop itself as an active, self-confident and independent bridge between two big economic powers, China and India.
Khanal said the Nepal government had prioritised good governance, policy-level reforms, social justice and the country’s overall prosperity. He said Nepal had advanced the idea of “thick connectivity and thin borders” through economic diplomacy. To put the trans-Himalayan connectivity network into practice, he said, “there is a need for infrastructural reforms and disaster upliftment”. He also called for modernising customs infrastructure at northern border points, developing a high Himalayan port in the border area as a year-round business centre, and building roads, bridges and other infrastructure in border areas that can withstand floods, landslides and other environmental disasters.
Khanal’s speech centred on recasting Nepal-China relations around shared ecological concerns, disaster resilience and stronger connectivity, while reaffirming Nepal’s existing foreign policy positions and development priorities.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
