Nepali Minister for Foreign Affairs Ramesh Nath Pandey said China's association with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will not only enhance SAARC profile but also benefit SAARC in a number of ways, state-run Radio Nepal reported Thursday.

The minister made the remarks upon his arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport Wednesday evening after taking part in the 13th SAARC Summit and the World Summit on Information Society held in Dhaka and Tunis.

Referring to the observer status for China and Japan and membership of Afghanistan in SAARC, Pandey said Nepal has long argued that SAARC will stand benefited from China's association with it in view not only of geographical proximity but also of China's good relations with all the countries in SAARC as well as China's global political and economic clout.

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2005)