Nepal and China fast track rail link in aftermath of Sino-Indian border row
Beijing says landlocked country can be a bridge between Asian giants
China and Nepal agreed on Thursday to ramp up plans for a cross-border railway amid public assurances from China that Beijing would work hard to avoid conflict with New Delhi.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said Beijing hoped Nepal could be a bridge between China and India, following a bitter border stand-off between the two Asian heavyweights.
After talks in Beijing with Nepalese Foreign Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Wang said China and India should work hard to make sure their ties do “not derail, become confrontational or get out of control”.
“[China and India] should see each other as partners and an opportunity for development, instead of sticking to the old mindset of perceiving each other as a rival or threat,” he said.
Mahara also met Premier Li Keqiang and State Councillor Yang Jiechi on Thursday.
His trip is his fourth in two years and comes as China tries to expand its influence in the landlocked Himalayan country.