Nepalese Ambassador to China Bishnu Shrestha said that the China-Nepal cross-border railway is Nepal's need, dream and road to prosperity, and may become the country's "project of the century". India will not and should not deny the China-Nepal cross-border railway project as India and South Asia will also benefit from the project. He also said that the argument that the project could put Nepal in a "debt trap" was "spreading misinformation and making noise".

In early August, Khadgar, the foreign minister of Nepal's Deupa government, visited China for the first time. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on August 11, during the talks between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Khadgar the day before, the two foreign ministers agreed that they would build a trans-Himalayan three-dimensional interconnection network. Wang Yi announced that China will use the aid to Nepal to support the feasibility study of the China-Nepal cross-border railway, and will send experts to Nepal to conduct surveys within this year.

Schresta said that the feasibility study means that the project has already started, and if the results of the study show that it is feasible, it is expected to see the implementation of the project soon, "We believe that as long as the Chinese are determined, nothing is impossible. Nepalis have seen the positive impact of the China-Laos cross-border railway, which opened a few months ago, which has excited the Nepalese people. We think the same will soon become a reality in Nepal.

The China-Nepal railway proposal began in 2016, when Nepali Prime Minister Oli visited China and signed 10 agreements with China, including plans to build a railway between the two countries. In June 2018, the Chinese and Nepalese governments signed a memorandum of understanding on cross-border railway cooperation, connecting Shigatse, Tibet, and Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. According to media reports, India is dissatisfied with Nepal's signing of a railway agreement with China, but Nepalese leaders stressed that for a landlocked country like Nepal, diversifying trade is the right choice.

Some foreign media analysts believe that India has repeatedly imposed a months-long economic blockade on Nepal without an official announcement. After the completion of the China-Nepal cross-border railway, if Nepal is blocked again, it can use Chinese seaports and dry ports. In addition, in 2019, Nepal had determined that the railway adopts the same standard gauge as China's instead of India's wide gauge, which frustrated India's railway diplomacy, and some Indian media also speculated that the railway posed a "threat" to India.

In this regard, Shrestha said that he believes that India will not and should not deny the Sino-Nepalese cross-border railway project. If they study carefully, they will find that India and South Asia will also benefit from this project. This railway The huge interconnectivity potential between China and South Asia will be realized. He also believes that the China-Nepal cross-border railway will not pose a so-called "security threat" to any country including India, and that "the Chinese army can reach Nepal directly through this railway during wartime" is just an "assumation in the minds of some people". He said that the construction of the China-Nepal cross-border railway is for better interconnection, trade, tourism, job creation and economic and social development, not for military purposes. He also stressed that China has always respected Nepal's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

Shrestha criticized some media in India for using the project to hype "Nepal to China", which is not in line with the facts. He said that China and Nepal have a long history, culture and political relationship. China has always respected Nepal's foreign policy and has never asked Nepal not to develop relations with India. "Nepal treats India and China equally, and both countries treat Nepal very well. important."

Another foreign media analysis believes that the huge cost of the China-Nepal cross-border railway project may lead to Nepal's over-reliance on Chinese loans, and then fall into a "debt trap" like Sri Lanka. In this regard, Shrestha said that the project did not involve any discussion of debt or loans, and "I don't see any possibility of a so-called debt trap." He also said that when seeking China's development assistance, Nepal and China will negotiate the financial model of each project on the basis of mutual benefit, and pay great attention to the feasibility of these projects in the socio-economic field. People who talk about it are just spreading misinformation and making noise."

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the Nepalese Foreign Minister's visit to China in September, China and Nepal also reached a consensus that they will negotiate and sign the implementation plan for the joint construction of the Belt and Road as soon as possible, and hold a joint economic and trade committee and a working group on unimpeded trade within this year. The two countries will promote power interconnection projects and strengthen power cooperation planning.Editor/XingWentao