Kathmandu: Nepal, according to China, is a natural area for cooperation between China and India, the Chinese government’s top diplomat State Councilor Wang Yi said today. He invited India to participate in connectivity projects going on between the three nations.

The Himalayan nation has always sought for India’s support at an economic level and trade level, but increasingly Nepal is being considered by China for transport deals. These developments are creating ripples in the New Delhi’s concerns for its neighbours.

In the year 2016, Nepal’s then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli finalized some deals with Beijing to use Chinese Roads and ports, which sought to reduce Nepal’s dependence on India for trade and transit.

Political relations between China and India have been strained since few years, with spats over many things including the border dispute with Tibet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked China to reset ties and will visit China in June for a regional summit.

After meeting Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali in Beijing, Wang dismissed the notion that Nepal was carefully creating a balance in its relations with China and India.

“I believe that China, Nepal and India are natural friends and partners. We are neighbours connected by the same mountains and rivers,” Wang said. “As we say in China, family members and neighbours wish each other well.”

He further said that any support for Nepal’s development should be a common understanding between China and India.

“Nepal stands as a natural beneficiary for cooperation and development from China and India. I think this is a logical desire that should be supported by both China and India,” Wang said.

Both the neighboring countries, China and Nepal have agreed to a long-term vision for a cross-Himalaya connectivity network which forms a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, he added.

“We believe that such a network when well-developed can also create conditions for an economic corridor connecting China, Nepal and India. We hope that such cooperation can contribute to the development and prosperity of all three countries.”

Gyawali said that he and Wang had agreed to start a feasibility study for a cross-border railway linking between Nepal and China. His comment comes after visiting Beijing about a week after Oli was in New Delhi.

“Personally I have a dream, to travel to China from Nepal across the Himalayas in a modern train, enjoying the scenic beauty of the Himalayas,” he added.

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