Northern Friend

CLOSE on the heels of the state visit to India, His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev is paying a state visit to China from coming Tuesday. His Majesty the King’s state visit from July 9 to 15 is a significant one in that it is His Majesty’s first state visit to the northern neighbour. Naturally, the impending visit has generated much interest in Nepal and China as can be gleaned also from the comments made by the Chinese ambassador to Nepal and the Nepalese ambassador to China on Tuesday. Indeed, as the Chinese envoy Wu Congyong said in a message on Tuesday, Nepal’s relationship with China dates back centuries, the marriage between Nepali Princess Bhrikuti and King of Tibet Song Zan Gan Bu one thousand years ago only one of the many examples that history offers of deep historical ties and interactions between the two Asian neighbours and which lay the solid foundations for the present-day ties. After the establishment of diplomatic relations, the friendship and cooperation between the two countries have been strengthened to such a great degree that there is not a single intractable problem in Nepal-China ties, a view echoed by the Nepalese envoy to China Mr. Rajeshwar Acharya also. We only have, Mr. Wu said, friendship, goodwill, understanding and cooperation. The recent pronouncements from the Chinese government to support the Nepalese government’s efforts to restore peace and stability and provide all possible assistance also constitutes a reinforcement of China’s good neighbourly policy towards Nepal based on the five principles of peaceful coexistence.

The Chinese envoy’s confidence that His Majesty’s visit would further enrich the contents of our friendly interactions, and promote our bilateral relations to a higher level in the new millennium is shared by all watchers of Sino-Nepal ties. His Majesty’s visit is bound to be a grand success as His Majesty is known in China, a fact emphasised by Mr. Acharya who pointed out that five previous China visits by His Majesty precede this first state visit. Nepal’s one China policy and its steadfast aversion to allowing its soil to be used against any country have also helped maintain the close relationship between the two countries. Against all this background and on the basis of the historically problem-free Nepal-China relationship, the forthcoming royal visit to our northern neighbour promises successful outcome that could further deepen the ties between the two neighbours. All indications point to the fact that His Majesty’s state visit to Nepal’s close northern friend will have a far-reaching impact on the Sino-Nepal relations in the new century.

Other Story

• Japanese Cooperation