The 10-member Chinese delegation led by Wu Dawei, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of People’s Republic of China agreed to provide grant assistance of US $ 12,400,000 (100 million RMB) to Nepal after a meeting with Nepalese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister K P Sharma Oli.
The two sides discussed the issue of Tibetan refugees and Tibetan people in transit in Nepal among others, reported the Kantipur daily Online July 28. Nepalese minister Oli after the talks said Nepal had given refugee status to those Tibetans who arrived in Nepal before 1989. He said those who entered Nepal after January 1990 were considered “illegal immigrants”.
However, on the issue of resumption of issuing travel documents for Tibetan refugees and exit permit for Tibetan people in transit, the Kantipur report quoted the minister as saying, “People in transit are not illegal migrants, they arrive here along with passports and visas to go to specific countries.” Nepal government under King Gyanendra’s rule had stopped issuing exit permits to Tibetans in transit. It was only after the recommendation of UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in May this year that Nepal began issuing the permits after eight months of suspension. Oli also reiterated Nepal’s stand on “One China” policy.
The Chinese delegation also appreciated the courage of the Nepalese people during the April movement against King Gyanendra’s rule and expressed its support to the recent change and democratic government in Nepal, according to July 27 report on Gorkhapatra Daily quoting minister Oli. China had maintained conspicuous silence on king Gyanendra’s royal coup amidst strong oppositions from the international community. The royal government had also received lavish military grants from China to counter Maoist insurgency although China had never branded the Maoists as terrorists. Many analysts are of the view that the Wu Dawei delegation is a face-saving exercise by China to salvage its reputation and reassert its influence in the troubled Himalayan kingdom.
The current grant pledged by China to Nepal will be used on mutually agreed economic and technical projects. Citing minister Oli, the Gorkhapatra said, “China has agreed to increase grant assistance by 50 percent compared to previous years.” The report said the annual Chinese grant was 80 million RMB (Chinese yuan) and that Nepal Finance Ministry officials had already received 20mln RMB, taking the overall total to 120mln. The agreement was signed by Dr Bhoj Raj Ghimire, Nepal finance secretary and Wu Dawei. China has also proposed to provide 200 million RMB concessional loans.
