Friday, January 3, 2020

Nepal can join MCC: Chinese envoy

Though a section in the country is opposing implementation of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant suspecting that it could be tantamount to joining a US-led military alliance, China claimed that it has no problem with Nepal joining MCC Compact Programme.
“Nepal as a least-developed country needs international support and assistance, not only from China, but also from other countries,” Chinese ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi said speaking at a press briefing organised at the Embassy this morning.
China welcomes any kind of assistance to Nepal, if it is in the area of economic cooperation,” she said, adding that Nepal can decide on its own without any external intervention. “Economic cooperation should be forged equally and should benefit the Nepali people and promote Nepal’s national interests.”
“Nepal can take its decision on its national interest,” she added.
She however, said that the China-India Plus – or ‘Two plus one’ – concept of cooperation mooted by Beijing essentially meant trilateral cooperation. “The concept did not deem Nepal as a very small country but China and India will play leading roles,” she said, explaining that the trilateral cooperation will be a win-win cooperation. “We have successfully started this cooperation model from Afghanistan," she said.
Though, Nepal is still not comfortable with China-India Plus one – Two plus one – she said that the trilateral cooperation could be forged in the areas of infrastructure, telecommunications and training courses.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian PM Narendra Modi – during Wuhan Summit on April 27-28, 2018 – have proposed the China-India Plus concept. But the leaders of ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) – including Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli – are against the China-India Plus concept. Chinese President Xi – during his visit to Nepal last October – also floated the idea to Nepal as China seems interested in further enhancing India-China Plus concept to develop a common strategy for Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Africa.
Nepal however is suspecting that China and India will have bigger roles and Nepal will have little role under ‘Two plus one’ cooperation model.
Likewise, speaking on recent arrests of more than 120 Chinese nationals in Nepal, the ambassador said that the Chinese authorities had communicated with their Nepali counterparts after they found the individuals’ involvement in cyber crime. Saying that investigations against them are underway in Nepal, the envoy also said it is up to the Nepali side whether to deport them or not. 

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