Belt & Road will link Nepal with world economy
- By Ritu Raj Subedi
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 5, 2016
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| Picture shows the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, collectively known as the Belt and Road initiative. (Xinhua) |
Chairman Mao said: "Differences between friends cannot but reinforce their friendship."
Mao's vision of friendship with China's many neighbors finds fitting reflection in the Belt and Road (B&R) initiative, a creative venture that Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled in 2013.
It seeks to connect nations and bring immense prosperity to their people through infrastructure development and creation of an integrated trading network spreading from western China to Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and even to Europe.
B&R can be a socialist-driven globalization process intended to remove inequality created by freewheeling capitalism. This premise is implied by the fact that China has committed itself to peaceful rise and respect for the sovereignty of other nations.
It has set aside US$40 billion to start a process that includes 3.8 billion people living in 60 countries once lying along or adjacent to the original Silk Road. The newly launched Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is expected to be a major provider of the money.
"B&R is a policy framework that incorporates myriad development projects, and countries like Nepal should proactively seek to benefit from it," says Dr Upendra Gautam, general secretary at the China Study Center.
He notes that integrating Nepal into the B&R really means integration into the global economy, thus "opening up new opportunities for Nepal."
A replication of the ancient Silk Road, B&R is "rooted in history and oriented toward the future." Nepal had a special relationship with the ancient Silk Road, and it is widely believed Buddhism initially travelled along the route to reach China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, Thailand and other Asian nations. Certainly, the ancient Silk Road contributed to Nepal's prosperity many centuries ago.
Nepal has taken formal steps to be part of B&R, the 21st century version of the ancient Silk Road. Its connection to the modern version is through the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Nepal could serve as a gateway to South Asia when the B&R vision comes to fruition.
During former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's visit to China last March, Nepal and China inked a landmark deal on trade and transit arrangements, and agreed to enhance connectivity as part of the B&R project.
Point 5 of the 15-point joint statement issued then reads: "Both sides agreed to seek synergy in development planning, formulate appropriate bilateral cooperation programs and carry out major projects under the framework of the Belt and Road initiative. The Chinese side agreed to accelerate the feasibility study of the Araniko Highway Repair and Maintenance Project and the Repair and Maintenance Project of the Syaphrubesi-Rasuwagadhi Highway, and build a bridge over the Karnali River at Hilsa of Pulan/Yari port."
In order to give flesh to their agreement, Nepal and China should jointly work to build road networks through the border passes of Olangchungola (5,095 m), Kimathanka (2,248 m), Lapche (4,091 m), Tatopani (2,515 m), Rasuwagahdi (1,983 m), Larke(5,135 m), Kor La (4,817 m), Hilsa (5,012 m) and Tinker(5,703 m).
The document "Envisioning Nepal 2030" of Nepal's Planning Commission states: "To promote growth, Nepal needs to be the connection and trading route not just between India and China but of South Asia as a whole. Capitalizing on its historic linkages, Nepal needs to conduct an in-depth study of reviving the South Western Silk Road (circular silk way)."
The Belt and Road initiative is expected to promote the country's immense potential in trade, tourism, water resources and transportation through technology transfers, high standard infrastructure and labor mobility.
"The B&R strategy will help Nepal connect to the global value chain by developing world class infrastructure," says Prof. Dr. Surya Raj Acharya, an infrastructure expert.
Former Nepalese ambassador to China, Rajeshwar Acharya, and Dr Gautam suggest creating a sub-regional group comprising Nepal, Bhutan and India's northwest, Tibet and Sichuan Province based on the BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar) model in order to serve as a gateway to both Southeast and South Asia under the Belt and Road initiative.
The B&R initiative is also about promoting cultural understanding. Nations around the Himalayas have a large number of Buddhist followers, and development of the Trans-Himalayan Buddhist pilgrimage will bring them together. This requires opening Trans-Himalaya railway services connecting Nepal with China, then with the Buddhist sub-circuit.
Nepal aspires to reap benefits from the B&R initiative, but chronic political instability has posed a stumbling block. The absence of a coherent foreign policy and lukewarm response to China's initiative among politicians and bureaucracy could deprive the country of significant gains.
The media reported that President Xi's proposed visit to Nepal was put off after China sensed that Nepal's preparations to implement the Belt and Road initiative were not up to scratch. Nepal mustn't delay in carrying out the necessary works to implement the project, because it cannot afford to let it slip through its fingers.
Ritu Raj Subedi is an associate editor of The Rising Nepal.
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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